sordid confessions of a telltale heart

(ruven afanador)

(photo of woman accused of biting off husbands member)

queer desire

(Isaac Julien, “Looking for Langston,” 1989)

"I think black people are afraid of their own queer desires. It’s so interesting that homosexuality is so threatening in our communities that we’d rather institute draconian policies that limit all that we are or who we could be out of fear. Homosexaulity and heterosexaulity are recent concepts that don’t effectively convey the diversity of human sexuality, gender or biological sex. We hold tight to the notion that two sexes, produce two genders which lead to two orientations but history and our current world refute this at every turn. but we hold on. We hold to these notions that ultimately imprison us and do nothing to transform the world into what it could be. It’s our desire to hold onto values, that were never ours by the way, that keep us locked in a push/pull that is not transformational or edifying."
(via Tyler Perry x Morehouse x Real Black Men)

Henry Miller

"Not a single object seems to possess a practical use. The antechamber itself seems useless, a sort of vestibule to a barn, It is exactly the same sort of sensation I get when I enter the Comedie-Francaise or the Palaise- Royal Theatre; ; it is a world of bric-a-brac, of trap doors, of arms and busts and waxed floors, of candelabras and men in armor, of statues without eyes and love letters lying in glass cases. Something is going on, but it makes no sense; it's like finishing the half-empty bottle of Calvados because there's no room in the valise."
— Henry Miller (Tropic of Cancer)

going, going, gone

the return of saturn, a three part love story

(saturn, NASA)

("Saturn Devouring One of His Children" Francisco Goya)

(saturnalia, collage '08)

"Saturn. . . is never easy to deal with because his function is that of promoting growth," explains astrologer Liz Greene, author of Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil, "and it is only frustration and pain which at present are sufficient goads to get a human being moving." This frustration and pain have given Saturn a bad reputation. But the planet's often misunderstood value lies in its very ability to evoke pain. Like the pain of an illness, it warns that something is wrong. Saturn doesn't create the problems, it merely illuminates them.

Growth is often accompanied by trepidation and turmoil. As the old self is pushed aside to make room for the new, you may feel weak and vulnerable. You want to move ahead, yet are frustrated by a fear of doing so, torn between a compelling urge to throw off everything connected with your past and an equally frantic need to cling to the familiar rather than brave the great unknown.

Even if your external world seems to be in order, your internal structure may feel as though it's being assaulted with a battering ram. Nervous conditions, irritability, depression, insomnia, and feelings of insecurity are common. Most people go through some sort of identity crisis.

Even though your Saturn Return may be disturbing, ultimately it reveals what you truly want and sweeps away the clutter that may have been impeding your progress. Your Saturn Return is a personal spring cleaning. No matter how difficult it seems to let go of inappropriate people and things, the first Saturn Return is the time to do it. For if lessons are not learned, the problems will come knocking again during your second Saturn Return at about age fifty-eight, when you are more set in your ways. Once the conflict is confronted, the tension usually subsides. You feel stronger and more capable of moving ahead.

Saturn Return is one of the most crucial turning points you ever experience, when you assume the greatest responsibility of all: responsibility for your own life.

http://www.newage-directory.com/saturn.html

the queen of cups

(from sweden to pittsburgh, '09)

modern love

Greer Lankton is amazing. I'll be heading to the Mattress Factory tomorrow( http://www.mattress.org/) to check out her permanent installation, "It's about Me. . . Not You".

ghost hunter

(the ghost whisperer series, '08)

clad in white linen

New Moon

Capricorn - You may have been feeling as if the car of your life has been stuck in the mud lately and no matter how hard you tromp on the gas pedal, you just keep sliding slowly but inexorably backwards. But the next three weeks should bring you surprising opportunities to move forward with a career matter or a creative project, thanks to new developments involving the two good luck planets of the zodiac. First, Jupiter returns to direct motion in your 2nd House of income on Tuesday. Jupiter has been retrograde here since June; his return to forward motion should shake loose some money-making ideas and opportunities to increase your income. At the very least you'll figure out how to make more out of what you have. Second, Venus enters your 10th House of career on Wednesday for a three-week stay. Venus is the ruler of this area of your chart, making her exceptionally strong here. Keep yourself open to receiving good things because opportunities that just weren't there for the last little while should suddenly appear. Sunday's New Moon in this same part of your chart encourages you to rethink how you're approaching your life's work. Look at the big picture now and be honest about what's working and what isn't. You may realize

you're growing in a new direction and it's time to update your career paradigm.

import

Seasonal Effective Disorder

A circadian rhythm is a roughly-24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living entities. The term "circadian", coined by Franz Halberg,[1] comes from the Latin circa, "around," and diem or dies, "day", meaning literally "approximately one day."

Lighting levels that affect circadian rhythm in humans are higher than the levels usually used in artificial lighting in homes. According to some researchers[21] the illumination intensity that excites the circadian system has to reach up to 1000 lux striking the retina. In addition to light intensity, wavelength (or color) of light is a factor in the entrainment of the body clock. Melanopsin is most efficiently excited by blue light, 420-440 nm[22] according to some researchers while others have reported 470-485 nm.

It is thought that the direction of the light may have an effect on entraining the circadian rhythm;[21] light coming from above, resembling an image of a bright sky, has greater effect than light entering our eyes from below.

(all images by me except the David LaChapelle photo-duh!)

mud on my pants

Quagmire

Good Love

magic

Full of it

glorious bastards

Appalachian

(car shop)
(rainbows corner store)

(children of the corn)

(home grown)

Constructive wings

Capricorn - By turning to your intuitive self to solve problems and create a new energetic in your life rather than relying on force and aggression in the outer world, what you're actually doing is choosing to work on the causal level of reality rather than the level of effect.

Back to the Begining

(Wangechi Mutu) (Louis Vuitton)

Tuesday welcomed the arrival of my second niece, Arianna Diamond Marie. While my sister was breathing through her contractions we watched the, 'The Color Purple' and I sang her the 'Miss Celia's Blues' song. It was just me, my mother, and my youngest sister. My song made the entire room break out in laughter. I mean it was completely over the top and wonderful all at once.

This is my second posting of a Wangechi Mutu piece. She is hands down my favorite artist. Mutu was born and Kenya and studied sculpture at Yale. Through the use of collage she explores cultural and gender identity. Learn more about the artist here http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/wangechi_mutu_about.htm