tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53829180529304865952024-03-05T23:35:28.678-08:00Homage to BarcelonaChrist.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-67247344053574313692018-07-25T14:59:00.000-07:002018-07-25T14:59:32.835-07:00Walking in my cloggs..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is likely the last post I write from Europa. And this is the bittersweet conclusion of our two year stint on this marvelous continent. I counted that I have visited 10 countries in the past two years, and lived in two. The last few months I have been feeling like I am walking towards a massive and dark thunderstorm, a few gusts of wild winds blowing as a warning ahead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I am feeling trepidatious about returning to the States in the current State as seen from over here. I am also completely excited to reunite with my friends, animals, the blue skies and mesa. I know there is a fight ahead, to face this new era and I am ready. As I saw so well written on the Berlin Wall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We did a lot right in these adventures over here, and we did a lot wrong. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It takes time to settle into somewhere, and every month, every year unfolds more layers of depth to a place and ones perspective of that place. One notable mistake was leaving each place after only one year. We did not get the benefits of our hard work figuring the cities out. What neighbourhoods to live in, what school Kodiak could go to, work spaces, where to get your groceries, favorite spots for sunset, new people you like. This takes time, about a year it turns out, and just as the pieces started falling in to place, we decided to keep moving. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It has been a grand experiment, and I do think all three of us are better for it. Especially Kodiak. He will never believe the world is too small for big ideas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My last few pictures of Berlin include the "Ampelman", whose swagger and hat always made me smile and one of the many posters from one of the coolest clubs there- Urban Spree. I also have a plethora of monochromatic tall gothic church steeple pictures, which represent the austere part of Germany. No humor there. I will save those for another time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I definitely have a push pull relationship with Berlin, and it's fair to say that it was more push than pull in the last few months.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And within that experience was also inspiring nights watching aerial performer Laura Stokes be fabulous at <a href="http://www.nirgendwo-berlin.de/" target="_blank">Nirgendwo</a>, and welding, festivaling and hanging out with fellow metalworker and great friend, Terril. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was a big push to help complete and ship off "With Open Arms" to Burning Man as well as decouple from German bureaucracy. It's really impressive how difficult the latter was, silly things like rental agreements, health insurance, electricity, school catering services, more required insurance, telecom services, internet providers, even more obtuse insurance. I have not written this many paper letters since 1989!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Working on With Open Arms with Christian has been a very rewarding experience, and we managed to show it for one evening in Berlin at KAOS, which was a major highlight for me. Many of our Berlin based friends came to see WOA that night, and witnessed a slice of what Christian and I do in our world of festival sculpture creation. I felt that we were seen and understood that night possibly for the first time. I can't wait to see this beautiful piece at BM, and in the great company of an almost exclusive European crew! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After we loaded the container for shipping, we had two weeks to pack up our lives in Berlin. Every minute was busy. When we left for Sweden, the entire family took a big sigh of relief. **aaahhhh****</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As it has been for most of my life, going back to Stockholm is a sweet homecoming. We stayed in an idyllic Swedish summer cottage, and did what all the Swedes do in the archipelago, relax. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Between enjoying a trip to the Stockholm city on a commuter boat, eating salt licorice ice cream, swimming in a peaceful lake (no fishing, no motorboats) and taking long walks in the woods(in cloggs of course), it was a perfect wind-down from the months prior. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We did play frisbee too. And read books.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stockholm was overrun by tourists in the old city but I turned around on a whim and took this picture, which for that second had no people in the streets! Other than the bicycle this vista could be timeless, as Gamla Stan has not changed much since the middle ages. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can feel the history under your feet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">...one of my favorite moments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now we are in Reykjavik, Iceland on our last leg before crossing the ocean wide. This volcanic, raw, ragged paradise happens to be Christian's favorite place on the planet. The three colors of Iceland are Black(lava rock), white(turbulent skies), and a flourescent green(moss and grass). It's such a stark and striking landscape, it's almost surreal. I have been here a few times and it's usually on a return leg of a flight back to the States, so it has a bit of a melancholy feel to it. I admit that hiking up a terrific mountainside with the weather alternating between rain, wind and fog to a spectacular hot spring river makes me quite giddy, and I always enjoy my time here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy boys!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tomorrow we end the many rich chapters of our Europa experience to start anew in a familiar place we call home. Home is but a word though, as I hold my open heart to the many places I belong.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thanks for adventuring with me through this blog over the past two years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With immense gratitude,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Christina</span><br />
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-2873259690695863342018-06-06T14:14:00.001-07:002018-06-06T21:56:11.668-07:00On Belonging...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
"I don't want to leave here, I don't want to stay. It feels like pinching to me either way. And the places that I long for the most, are the places I have been. They are calling out to me like a long lost friend"<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sarah Groves</span><br />
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As an expatriate, I am again struggling with the idea of belonging. As we are getting ourselves ready to uproot once again and go "back" home I am reminded of my childhood and all the times we moved around the World. It was all that you would expect, difficult to leave friends and familiar routines, and exciting to learn new ways and meet new people. Transition is difficult for humans. Change is uncomfortable. I often feel like I'm floating between places, not belonging anywhere and sadly not able to belong anywhere. I am called a third culture citizen, and I know I am not alone. I wake not knowing where I am, which has an unsettling residue, it's hard to shake. Growing roots is a concept rather than a fact of my life. A rootless plant.<br />
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I attach to feeling European when I'm in the States, I attach to being Swedish when I'm in Europe and I attach to the experience of a Taoseño when I'm in Taos. It's complicated, yet I also could not imagine living without the wide perspective that expatriatism affords. It's a tribe in itself. A bunch of rootless plants. We find each other out there in the world and there is an unspoken understanding of what I'm describing. I found it in Barcelona, and I found it living in Berlin.<br />
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I have always been the outsider, as a kid living everywhere, "home" was where my passport said it was. I never belonged deeply to any culture and yet belong to them all in some way or another. Back to the third culture citizen, a description that did not exist yet when I was a kid. We just called ourselves world citizens with permanent culture shock. I will be going to a high school reunion in a week, in Paris, where I attended the American School in Paris. Possibly with people I have little in common with to date, other than this exact experience that defines us as adults today. This may sound extravagant, but Paris is a two hour flight from Berlin, at a commuter price of less than 50 bucks. That's Europe.<br />
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Last week we took another trip, first to Prague then my friend Cedar and I went on to Poland. We visited Oświeçim, also known as Auschwitz, and the bustling city of Krakow. I could write plenty around the heartbreaking experience of seeing the concentration camps, (which I think should be mandatory for all in Europe to see) but not now. I do have two lasting thoughts from that experience<br />
<b>How did so many people perish under everyones eyes?</b> (Out of the 6 million Jews that were tortured and murdered, the <a href="http://auschwitz.org/edukacja/e-learning/" target="_blank">Auschwitz-Birkenau</a> camp alone brutally massacred 1.1 million Jews, and another several hundred thousand people of various ethnicities and abilities. People knew.) <b>And, is it happening today under a different pretext? </b>"Those who do not know history, are condemned to repeat it". <span style="font-size: x-small;">Edmund Burke </span> This question is a debate we need to have, not one to wave away while buying another distraction.<br />
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No wonder Europeans drink so much! There's a lot of trauma and war on this continent. I still admire the lengths various warring nations have gone to keep the history alive, with the hope of changing the course for the future generations. Especially in Germany. If you visit here and did not notice the remnants of WWII or the East-West schism, you must have had your eyes closed. It's just that crazy juxtaposition as you walk by the bombed out church, (also the site of the 2016 Christmas market attack) with your flat white in hand looking for the Apple store.<br />
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My experience as a terminal outsider is a cultural one. I guess I feel as if I belong to my friends, my fellow expats, my experiences in all the various places I find myself in. In the end I simply belong here, on the planet, with the rest of you 7.5 billion humans.<br />
I have a concept brewing around borders, boundaries on a globe, that act to divide people rather than bring them together. Some sculptural manifestation of the softness and hardness of these lines, these territories on a map, and how they change so quickly at the whim of politics.<br />
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But for now, here in Berlin it's crunch time for us. Finishing Christian's sculpture With Open Arms, as well as packing logistics and moving logistics, and taming the certain anxiety of returning home...it's a full plate, which goes well with a dry Sauvignon Blanc.<br />
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It's been two years since we embarked on this adventure. I like to think it's not the end, rather the beginning of new trail, and who knows where it will lead. Experience ages us well. Which reminds me of part of this tune on lingering..<br />
"..and as time goes by...mmmm..I look at you an sigh....it was goodnight and not good bye"<br />
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I am obsessed with this video and the song by The Blaze called Territory. I can't relate but yet I can, which pretty much sums up this post. A rootless plant, I tell you.<br />
See you soon.<br />
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-60007486839417747482018-04-12T01:55:00.000-07:002018-04-12T01:55:06.870-07:00Germany for Germans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This post has been brewing for a while, and comes at the heels of a much welcomed travel adventure I had with Kodiak during his two week Spring break. While in Europe, I thought we would take full advantage of cheap flights and proximity to everything amazing.. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We took a speed train from Berlin to Paris, going a whooping 308km/hour, which took about 7 hours. Impressive! After a week in Paris, exploring a fraction of what the city has to offer, we spent a day at the Louvre, which was a highlight. Not only to see the Mona Lisa's eyes following you as you walk by her, but the sheer volume of incredible artworks and sculptures within the lavishly beautiful space is truly un-comparable. This classical art is especially fun w/ kids as it's so saucy, gory with lots of strange subject matters, it's an interesting challenge for a parent to answer the "why's". I kept thinking about the opera, why I love it so much, for the same reasons, this exploration of human nature which seems to come down to all of our cardinal vices; greed, sloth, pride, jealousy, murder(wrath), lust, gluttony and war! Explaining this stuff in "PG" makes for hilarious and involved conversations with a 7 year old.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And there was the Eiffel tower of course, viewed from my favorite place, Trocadero. I hope Kodiak will remember a little bit of this trip, and even if not it will have imprinted on him of some of the wonders of the world. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There have been few other times that traveling has been as much fun as with my little goofball son. Exhausting for sure, but his outlook on places and how he interacts with his world is really inspiring. Kids are very punk rock.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After Paris, we explored Tenerife, one of the Canary islands off the coast of North Africa. It is considered part of Spain, but like Cataluñya is also an autonomous region. It is famous for its volcanic activity and it looks like a southern version of Iceland. What we did find there for the first time in many months was the sun. It was a much needed infusion of vitamin D, something I had been lacking in Berlin for the last 5 months. After a glorious week spent in a yurt in the dry highlands of the island, we moved on and flew to Madrid. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Madrid was the expected bustle, and our main goal was to visit the museum that houses Picasso's "Guernica". I have been longing to see this masterpiece in person, and I was not disappointed. The Museo Reina Sofia was the highlight, lots of interesting work mainly addressing the war and post war era. As a city goes, Madrid's flavor is more conservative and less gritty than Barcelona. One other highlight was our visit to one of the oldest barber shops in Spain, "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">El Kinze de Cuchilleros</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">". Kodiak got his first professional hair cut here, pampered between Spanish men getting their beards trimmed to perfection. And all this for €13! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then we returned to Germany. Land of rules and ways that I believe only really Germans understand. As an old punk and do-I-what-I-wanter, I have to admit there is quite a bit of a culture clash between us. Granted we do live in the South of Berlin, a beautiful and boring suburb far from the more exotic multi cultural Berlin you hear about, but truly it feels more German than Kreuzberg. Although there are amazing resources in Berlin, especially for artists, there is a lack of a warm inclusive community. Like most northern European cultures(I do belong to one) it takes a long time to really meet and make friends here. Most all my friends in Berlin, are not German! British, Kiwis, Americans, Italians, Spanish..but no Germans. I think there is an inherently thicker shell around Northerners, and the general sourpuss attitudes, especially prevalent in the Winter months is tough to live around. In stark contrast, in Spain, the people (like the weather) are warm, loud, relaxed and mostly smiling. It's funny because I'm Swedish, and I understand the Northern way in my bones and blood but my heart thrives in the Southern cultures. But I digress..</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We came back here, school started, and I joined the full swing production of Christian's new sculpture, </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With Open Arms</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. We are working in an enormous warehouse, BBK. The rent is cheap, the space is a fully outfitted metal workshop, and all tools are available for use, including rollers and shears and massive brakes. It also houses a fully equipped wood shop, clay studio and stone carving studio. This is one of those resources that is just incredible. And when I'm not there welding with Christian, I am at </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">KAOS</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, working in the metal shop and forge. I started teaching welding workshops, which has been very gratifying and I will be starting my second run in a few weeks. All this familiar creative work is feeding my soul and I am so grateful for it. Between the workshops and the new sculpture life is full. And time will pass quickly as it does when one is busy, and soon I will be sharing more stories in person with old friends in Taos. I am looking forward to it!</span><br />
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-72047767085032029772018-03-07T14:19:00.000-08:002018-03-07T14:27:52.809-08:00When Centimeters become the new black... <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's when centimeters replace inches in your head, when you start to understand how long you've been in Europe. It's been a while. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Recently some major shifts have tilted us towards heading back home in the Summer. One is the excellent news that Burning Man awarded Christian a grant to build a new huge sculpture. You can see more details on his <a href="http://artisthepropertaskoflife.blogspot.de/" target="_blank">BLOG</a>. We are super excited, it seemed that much of our future was hanging on this decision. Not only does it present a true challenge on how to pull this off in Berlin, and only using metric measurements at that, but it gives us a ceremonious welcome home via BRC. I can't think of a better return.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of the best things about Berlin has been the ability to work at <a href="http://kaosberlin.de/" target="_blank">KAOS</a>, the community art space both Christian and I are part of now. We are continuously meeting new interesting people a wide variety of mad skills. Forging friendships is a slow process but we landed in the right pool of fellow "maker folk", which feels good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have been working on a slightly different project for about three plus months there, building a small house which hosts an installation. It has almost no metal work and is made up of wood and paper and some old cell phones. Not my usual repertoire of mediums. It's almost done, so I feel like it's time to share it with you. It's called Mitt Uthus, which means My Outhouse in Swedish, and is a replica of a traditional outhouse found almost anywhere in the country side in Sweden. The inside of the house is not really an outhouse, rather a place to sit and contemplate for a while. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The inside walls are completely covered with images acting as wallpaper. My </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">earliest sense of the world came through the images plastered within my grandparents' outhouse, and I came to understood the world based on those images.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Today we have viral media, and internet memes. Short, sometimes funny phrases upon circulated images from the news, movies, and cartoons. I have included images that are meaningful to me personally as well as images that represent my time to date. I also added three smart phone screens, embedded into the walls, displaying images and text as well. I want this juxtaposition of technology and memes and vernacular architecture to meld into an immersive experience related to global human impact, familiar and yet disturbing. In a short blurb:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Mitt Uthus is an exploration into contemporary viral media and the power wielded by these iconic visual sound bites of our culture.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I feel like the timing of this installation is spot on, as parts of the concept have been echoed in various lectures and movies I saw recently at the Berlin <a href="https://transmediale.de/">Transmediale</a> festival as well as a current exhibit at the <a href="http://www.cccb.org/en/activities/file/memefest/228250">CCCB</a> (in Barcelona) relating to memes and politics in our culture. <br /><br />I am in the process of making a video of the piece, as I think it's the best way to share the concept, but I will post some simple pictures first..</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #232323; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #232323; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #232323; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is the beginning. I guess it also reflects that I feel uprooted and love to build houses... This process was a bit challenging as it has to come a part into several flat panels for transport. <br /><br />All the walls separate with a few screws and the roof is two sections fastened onto the ends and a middle beam(not in the picture yet).<br /><br />I built a floating floor with old palette wood as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I then sheathed the panels and started planning the interior bench and hidden electric to power the one light bulb as well as charging the phones.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF27EsjtoAcL4eoMGTSSGPRSV6PMoJkhP3SNgYWcJxGccgXW0-TIs8QSr6Z2QfbuHdoXPRjTOsWXfYKoY4ZkP1_YuWcp77iC5yXx0VEgFlVD-diXNgZk_a70d9o9ZzQzaUFuCyMVPNPr0/s1600/interior+start.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF27EsjtoAcL4eoMGTSSGPRSV6PMoJkhP3SNgYWcJxGccgXW0-TIs8QSr6Z2QfbuHdoXPRjTOsWXfYKoY4ZkP1_YuWcp77iC5yXx0VEgFlVD-diXNgZk_a70d9o9ZzQzaUFuCyMVPNPr0/s200/interior+start.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I found beautiful Scandinavian wall paper with a distressed bird motif, which ended up being perfect for the space. The newspaper clippings and most images are printed on really thin paper, exposing some of the underlying design. I love the textured feel that gives to the walls, making them feel old.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I spent some time designing the door, with a slightly frightened moon face and a five pointed star. I forged the handle in the KAOS metal shop(more pics on that soon)</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now the first coat of paint is on the outside. I still have trim and finishing</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then the inside..this is a dark pano shot of the walls seen from the bench.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">..and a little detail from a section of one wall. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hopefully I can get the video done soon to be able to show you more! It's always a bit scary sharing a new project for the first time, especially one that is more personal and outside the usual constraints of what sculpture or visual art is. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thanks for reading- more to come.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~Bis Bald! (nothing to do with hair loss)</span></div>
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-21713454259645174422018-02-15T08:07:00.000-08:002018-02-15T08:32:05.932-08:00BERLIN WINTER<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's been a while since my last post, and it's largely due to the Berlin winter. I feel like a hibernating animal, like a bear who is quite content sleeping in a cave waiting for the weather to turn warm and the sun to appear once again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have crawled out of my cocoon for a few events over the past few months, one was visiting Greece over Christmas, which was lovely. Here's our mandatory Acropolis family portrait. Interestingly, the Acropolis looks roughly the same as it did when I saw it in 1992.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We spent many days with Christian's brother Cles and his wife-to-be Eleni, and Nonnah. It was a sweet family affair. Cles is the master mind behind </span><a href="http://www.thethingaboutgreece.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Thing About Greece</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, a sustainable adventure site and film about how amazing Greece is. Thanks to Cles and Eleni and their passion for all that is beautiful there, we got to ski not far from Athens, visit Hydra, swim in a large hot pool within a bat cave, and celebrate a serenely beautiful New Years Eve on a beach. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And what is becoming our European custom, Christian and I swam in the ocean on the first day of 2018. A good way to start the new year!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The idyllic little island of Hydra, where Leonard Cohen found his inspiration and where time seems to be frozen in a simpler past. It's a walking and donkey island only(no cars).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once back in the d a r k wet cold of Berlin, I managed to check out a digital media/tech and art festival called <a href="https://2018.transmediale.de/" target="_blank">Transmediale </a>, where our Italian friend <a href="https://www.berlinale-talents.de/bt/talent/emanuelenicolo-andreoli/profile" target="_blank">Mitra Azar </a>was speaking. It's an interesting festival that explores the topic of technology, media, politics and art and its impact on our culture and society. I have been working for a few months now on an installation piece that examines our relationship to our world through media and memes and how it shapes our relative understanding of identity. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This installation/sculpture is within a full sized outhouse that I fashioned from my memories of an outhouse I had while growing up in rural Sweden. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While being anti social, which is surprisingly easy in a large urban sprawl like Berlin, I have been working daily on this installation project at an art space called <a href="http://kaosberlin.de/" target="_blank">KAOS</a>. This is where we showed the Hand of Man, a very snowy eve at the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Weihnachtsmarkt</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">! Both Christian and I rent space within this makerspace/co working space about a half an hours drive from our little apartment. I will dedicate a short blog to my project later.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFLslWtzIfYirkdvj08lF5XbSavJ1rsuD04KvGRJtQrd_6nHiW97NZ7zG3ogyUFqxBj8db5YeIRZ_noVIrVNIEbqUN52IXsBU_UXMWAsBlgdEuqkIbc22v31X5zFVEKywyzV8KY9NSDg/s1600/blog5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFLslWtzIfYirkdvj08lF5XbSavJ1rsuD04KvGRJtQrd_6nHiW97NZ7zG3ogyUFqxBj8db5YeIRZ_noVIrVNIEbqUN52IXsBU_UXMWAsBlgdEuqkIbc22v31X5zFVEKywyzV8KY9NSDg/s320/blog5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We also make it out for strange multi disciplinary events like this, where our friends Nova and Grey are creating music for a 6 hour long organic dance and object manipulation performance. It's always exciting to see new ideas take flight and expose Kodiak to colorful performance art.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I leave you with a few observations, one being that the endless white winter skies here provide an unusual and dramatic backdrop for the many leafless trees. Their network of branches are reflected in nature in rivers and water ways, and in our own bodies vascular system. I'm not sure why I find this so intriguing and beautiful, but I get to see it everywhere in Berlin. Below are examples of the trees and an image of rivers seen from space.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMAsoCfpiKab7GXiMW7Qt_BdEqfXDmIXLVKIFpxpseKs4LZpKwp671tLmzmm1312TUoCJ7wNrhyWj1vG4pNj6FrnkYA7KTa9lkFXD-GesfoajHfM25QmJl7YvCGXiZ60NK6vNKgs8lFY/s1600/Trees-lakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMAsoCfpiKab7GXiMW7Qt_BdEqfXDmIXLVKIFpxpseKs4LZpKwp671tLmzmm1312TUoCJ7wNrhyWj1vG4pNj6FrnkYA7KTa9lkFXD-GesfoajHfM25QmJl7YvCGXiZ60NK6vNKgs8lFY/s400/Trees-lakes.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And here is the view from our apartment window.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3jWOpxasSm5UFz_SY6KSLI9GZYLixULMTmPvIrLrZYmqJVxQ7jFTC7OfHiBr7ttOvL-FBy-PHzIvqCVBwrV_8hIBZA1DySH97P1HK46fn0iLANUcpNwTpsN1rWZsIAnVTYSfd5zNkaI/s1600/Attachment-1+%25283%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1320" data-original-width="1600" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3jWOpxasSm5UFz_SY6KSLI9GZYLixULMTmPvIrLrZYmqJVxQ7jFTC7OfHiBr7ttOvL-FBy-PHzIvqCVBwrV_8hIBZA1DySH97P1HK46fn0iLANUcpNwTpsN1rWZsIAnVTYSfd5zNkaI/s320/Attachment-1+%25283%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The other observation is that Berlin is always under construction. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's construction cranes are as iconic a fixture as the bare trees. Due to the destruction during WWII and the division of the East, it has a very unique and hodgepodge style to its architecture and layout. And it's a huge city. Large empty spaces within downtown (which were flattened in the war) and East block utilitarian style buildings lining swaths of the city, mixed in with the historic monuments like the Brandenburger Tor, the Fernsehturm and the many Gothic style churches. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: right;">I was inspired to make a drawing about this juxtaposition...and also the destruction/construction aspect of the city's history. That reminded me of the movie poster of the 50Ft tall woman, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and this is the result:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So for now, Auf Wiedersehen, biß bald!</span></div>
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-25458123034809470862017-11-01T04:14:00.000-07:002017-11-01T04:14:12.512-07:00Germans, Crickets and Cataluñya<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Only a little over a month from my last blog post, there seems to be so much that has happened, from a personal perspective as well as a global one. It's hard to keep the balance, between the local and global news and one's own daily victories and defeats. Somehow all these events intersect somewhere in the psyche to create a smörgåsbord of emotions that inadvertently effect one's daily life.<br />
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I don't quite understand why, but the Catalan independence movement which led to the current debacle in Cataluñya has been poignant for me and has evoked feelings of solidarity for all that struggle for their rights. Since we left Barcelona, the situation there has been riddled with recovery and strife.<br />
It's hard to imagine such a historically rich and culturally colorful place could spiral into chaos in such a short time. And it did. It's been a bitter reality for my friends there, walking, living and working on the streets of such polarizing politics as the independence movement conjures. How the Spanish government chose to deal with the very historically complex uprising is one of the bigger disappointments for me. Not unlike many nations across the globe, there seems to be excess hubris and a shortage of tolerance at the table, if there even is a table to discuss the conflicts at hand. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuI2EX2PVAk8qFffEHyeGCbwbrXuoiTI-DpX0gRu8daEIWWHOLhzR220BtgDtuOhW5w2BNKSGJRQpIV2qBXma4JRxbmH_VTZH0jHGW_mknWMSGGWo4PBO3NzBa-LrJRw89yQd13Dv4J8/s1600/Catalan+independence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1282" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuI2EX2PVAk8qFffEHyeGCbwbrXuoiTI-DpX0gRu8daEIWWHOLhzR220BtgDtuOhW5w2BNKSGJRQpIV2qBXma4JRxbmH_VTZH0jHGW_mknWMSGGWo4PBO3NzBa-LrJRw89yQd13Dv4J8/s400/Catalan+independence.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
How about a big fucking "we are sorry" for whatever atrocities a nation committed against the various peoples who were perceived to be on the wrong side of right in the eyes of the ruling powers?<br />
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Even in parenting, an acknowledgment of ones mistakes is the most important first step towards mending trust and building new and peaceful ways of communicating. It translates from our individual behaviour to our national behaviour. Admitting a wrong is an important step to begin making a right.<br />
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And here is the segue from Spain to Germany... I just finished reading the book: The Shortest History of Germany by James Hawes, and it describes the absolutely crazy history of war laden lands of what are today known as Germany from 500 BCE to the present. It's fascinating.<br />
One thing I took to heart as the book approached the mid 20th century: <i>The Holocaust</i><br />
<i>"it's tempting to print an entire page in solid black and and just go sit in some blessed English garden, trying to forget what happened among the railways-sidings and birch-forests of Mitteleuropa. Here, if anywhere, is something too awful for rational discussion or comprehension. But we can't leave it at that."</i><br />
The book then continues to portray the darkest sides of humankind in chronological time. And the mass reckoning that inevitably followed. And I will mention, still, there is reckoning in the air in Berlin. I feel it here daily.<br />
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More interesting graffiti in the Friedrichshain Kiez (German for "hood").<br />
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And then there is the day to day stuff.... The different etiquette of the German culture, is not an easy one to work around.<br />
Could they please stop honking their car horns? They honk the second you, as a driver or pedestrian or bicyclist, step out of "order". <br />
It is clear that I am wired for a more organic approach to human movement in urban areas, and thus here, I experience plenty of honking.<br />
And how about a smile? Come on people! Those facial muscles seem a bit under developed here. Luckily I have a super silly 7 year old, who makes me laugh and smile most of the time, so we turn the goof factor up to 11 when we are out in the city.<br />
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One weekend we found excellent Thai and Indonesian street food in a small Berlin park. Christian really enjoyed a plate of fried crickets!<br />
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On a much more personal note, I am experiencing bouts of anxiety around not being productive enough. I have to constantly remind myself that this grand adventure has many layers to it, some evidently hidden, and that even though I feel displaced, change like this is good for me. With all this moving and resettling it has been hard to finish any creative project I have started. I began doing research on residency programs in Berlin where you can immerse yourself in your project with support from other artists. Perfect I thought.<br />
I applied for several residency programs, and got accepted to one that is a potential good fit for a sculpture I have been dreaming up. But then the reality set in. The intense residency timetable is nowhere near my current situation, as a mom, living in the South of Berlin, with a sobering schedule around my sons school and extra curricular activities. Like all moms, I just don't have a lot of work(me) time in a day. So, I pass on the opportunity and move on to a work space in a collective space with access to many familiar tools and hope for the best. The cost of participating in the co-op makerspace is a fraction of the residency and that in the end alleviates the pressure of over-commitment. I hope to use this resource and get at least one new sculpture out into the world!<br />
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It makes me grateful for all that we built at home, a shop next to our house, a supportive community for our family. Space, peace and quiet to do our work. Space!<br />
Cities are catalysts of the opposite, great places to get swept away by the urban distractions, noise, lights, mass volume of humans, truly impressive art. Places to gestate ideas, meet interesting minds, expose oneself to uncomfortable experiences. To be impressed by innovation, to exist within the buzz. To be like a sponge, soaking it all up. And to remain present, as hard as that is.<br />
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We travel a lot, especially now with our little wonder car, the Skoda. It's amazingly fuel efficient and is a solid little ride for our family. We traveled to Denmark. I went back to Barcelona for a short visit, and to take advantage of our dental insurance. We drove to Amsterdam a few weekends ago, to attend the infamous ADM (art squat) birthday party festival. They are the collective that was behind <a href="https://vimeo.com/132724412" target="_blank">Robodock</a>, the festival where I got to operate my very first pulse jet engine from <a href="http://www.srl.org/" target="_blank">SRL</a>, which subsequently inspired <a href="http://cagedpulsejets.blogspot.de/" target="_blank">Caged Pulse Jets</a>. A perfect example of how an urban cultural experience can inspire new work.<br />
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I hope that Kodiak will remember some of these adventures later. Even if it's deep down, he, like all of us adventurers, is a global human. Hopefully, even if no true memory remains, he will know that the world is full of possibility and that he holds the key.<br />
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-57599812534363186152017-09-10T11:53:00.002-07:002017-09-10T12:56:01.564-07:00Homage to Berlin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ok, it's been a while since I have written, and much has happened, as it does. The world keeps turning whether you make a note of it or not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After Maker Faire Berlin, Christian and I had a "aha" moment on the plane back to Barcelona. Maybe Berlin was a better fit? We discovered that </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Berlin is a freak show of great proportions, with active squats, punks, queer culture, freaks of all ages, truly amazing graffiti and public art works, a healthy dose of green forests and bustling family scenes. Lots of playgrounds, where parents enjoy a picnic with beer and kids jump on the many public trampolines. It's a colorful city. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Upon returning to Barcelona, the old Catalan city was overflowing with tourists (literally) and life there suddenly seemed a bit conservative all around.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Within a few weeks I was back scouting for schools, found an amazing International, IB/UN* school taught in American English that had space for Kodiak, and that was that. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our remaining days in Barcelona were filled with beautiful coastal escapes from the city, the heat and the masses. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We moved to Berlin a few weeks later.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This time we took the opportunity to not make the same mistakes and found an apartment close to the school. Now, we bicycle to and from school, through a section of forest no less. After school we bike to a nearby lake and take a swim, have a beer and bike home. It's dreamy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*International Baccalaureate and United Nations School (ie. students from all over the world)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mdCabo5K_oA-79UjcnXmOqxlIE35XCJs0RrPKOtYJp7yjWlXFvEVPoD1iOITscYD3iiUOH_JYDwpkIyfdhDomTxCh2BjtW6Zc_OLy8INzyluC1svGVxANUjou8rNDKt39-UVTFZuaFc/s1600/Schultu%25CC%2588te%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mdCabo5K_oA-79UjcnXmOqxlIE35XCJs0RrPKOtYJp7yjWlXFvEVPoD1iOITscYD3iiUOH_JYDwpkIyfdhDomTxCh2BjtW6Zc_OLy8INzyluC1svGVxANUjou8rNDKt39-UVTFZuaFc/s320/Schultu%25CC%2588te%2521.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Christian started taking German lessons and in good German tradition there was a special handmade "</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schult%C3%BCte" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">SchulTüte</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">" given to both of my boys. It made the first day of school all the much better. I speak pretty decent German, so we kind of flipped roles here from Spain (my Spanish is still at beginner level, unfortunately). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I was making Kodiak's Schultüte, I glued some sparkly sprinkles to the design and shook the few extras off on our balcony. Well, I guess the sparkles flew down to the neighbors terrace and when I saw her in the hallway the next day she told me in a stern voice that it was strictly "<b>Verboten!</b>"* to have fairy sprinkles in the building. I thought it was a bit strong, but hey, we are in Germany.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>We had been in Berlin 14 days when the terrorist attack happened in Barcelona. The van that pointlessly took so many lives on the Ramblas that afternoon was a block from our old apartment. My heart broke with sadness and anger that this happened there, next to my neighbourhood defined by its diversity and tolerance. Of course that is beside the point, but I am grateful that friends and loved ones are still with me, existing in this very temporary state on this planet. No Tenim Por! (We Have No Fear, in Catalan)</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Berlin exists in Germany, and I say it this way because it is quite an unusual city in Germany. I will admit I was never excited to move to Germany, having lived here once before in the 1970's in the capitol of those times, Bonn. My mother was born in Mainz and survived </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">the insanity of WWII </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">as a kid, about Kodiak's age. The trauma of that experience remains with her today. I too, carry some of this German weight. Back when we where trying to decide where to move, Christian stipulated "never France" and I said "never Germany", which is kind of comical now, as sweeping generalizations of places usually hold as much water as an old paper bag. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But, let me generalize a bit...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think it's clear that Germans are a more serious and possibly grumpy lot, especially in comparison to the Catalans in Spain. And why wouldn't they be? There seems to be plenty of soul searching going on here, which has led to a very progressive society. Granted, Germany is facing some major problems at the moment, with the refugee crisis, and they seem to be looking at these issues straight on, debating what will be the future road to take. They are considered the leaders of Europe and the EU, with everyone watching closely on how to set a new precedent of action. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The German elections are coming up and it's so interesting to see how they advertise their various parties (oh yeah, many, many political parties)The CDU(Merkel), SPD, FPD, LKR, Die Linke, Die Alternative, Die Grünen, NPD, The Pirate Party, the list does go on. The CDU, which is the current ruling party, actually describes itself with two words that would not be in the same room in the States, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">as Liberal Conservatism.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Impressive. The adverts address their parties' platform (imagine that) with witty phrases. I have not seen one personal smear advert out there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Christian took this Pirate party picture. She's having fun!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And then there's their history. Ugly and dark it is, but not unlike other often forgotten human-made atrocities around the world. German history in Berlin is everywhere. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are reminders of WWII, the Holocaust and the Wall everywhere. It's in the form of some powerful architectural carnage, large open spaces where buildings once stood, disturbing old street signs next to regular street signs, site-specific memorials, my favorite the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolperstein" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">stumbling stones</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, public memorials, subway photographs of old Berlin, sections of the Wall displayed in the city, markings on the streets where the Wall once stood, signs denoting the old division between East and West Berlin. There is probably more, but this is what I have experienced in the month being here now. The </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Museum%2C_Berlin" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Jewish Museum</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> interior was built by Daniel Liebeskind and is one of the most powerful architectural memorials I have experienced. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Bunker Museum, in an old war bunker, asks the simple question: how could it happen? Inside are three floors filled with historical memorabilia and truly amazing and disturbing photographs with a focus on Berlin, and its role in both world wars, as well as the holocaust to the end of the war, the time of reckoning. The ticket stub has the word Hitler printed in all caps on it, and I had to throw it out when I got home, it made me so uncomfortable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And what would this look like in the United States! I can see artists tackling the darker parts of America's past, right there, everywhere, so everyone can see it. Peppered in amongst the memorials of victories and of the discoveries. The brutal colonization of the Native populations, about their displacement, slavery, the civil war and consequent racism, immigration and its consequent xenophobia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Could be important for the politically challenged college students(!) in the States...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm imagining something way more inspired than a sign post by a road- side pull off. Show people their history in an all accessible, truthful, creative way, and would this not help in the healing of a nation so fractured today?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm sure one could add in the history of industry and technology and its subsequent affect on the well being of the planet. And the obvious link from our excess consumption to Global warming and the apocalyptic weather we are having.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I find so inspiring in Berlin (and Barcelona, too) is that all these reminders serve the new generation to deeply know their past, and hopefully allows for a collective new way of thinking to emerge. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The common thread for me, is the accessibility of these stories. It's relevant and within public space. Not only hidden away in a museum, or a remote landmark. And that it's creative- it should evoke wonder.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Indeed, "to know your future, you must know your past" <span style="font-size: x-small;">by Spanish literary and philosopher, </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Santayana" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Santayana.</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and lastly,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I took a picture of our desk/office area in our new apartment- a little old with the new. I love that Kodiak will learn to use this extinct dinosaur of a phone!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Next up- "currywurst" (why mix those two?), the German Forests, and Berlin's amazing Graffiti!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'Till then, Tschüss!*</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*adiós/adéu</span><br />
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-1486626654374600092017-07-19T12:32:00.001-07:002017-07-19T12:32:59.172-07:00Maker Faire Bonanza<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We have been to three consecutive Maker Faire's in Europe now, staring with Berlin. We showed the Hand of Man at the Berlin Maker Faire, which is always a rewarding experience. One weekend later was Maker Faire Barcelona, and we hobnobed with several interesting makers and innovators, including the San Francisco Maker Faire elite, who were visiting their various European off shoots. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A few weeks later we were enjoying community Paella and "un demi" at the Nantes Maker Faire, which was really impressive. Maker Faire Nantes was hosted by the mechanical art enterprise known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machines_of_the_Isle_of_Nantes" target="_blank">Les Machines</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Les Machines take up a healthy section of the Isle de Nantes, an old industrial island now being gentrified, and are a huge artistic and cultural force with their mechanical contraptions and spectacular sculpted landscapes. Its a collective of hundreds of talented artists under the helm of <a href="http://xn--franois%20delarozire-60b0b/" target="_blank">Francois Delaroziere</a> and Pierre Orefice, who build the dreamy animal and nature based creations that end up in an aquatic merry-go-round or flying wood and steel herons in a elaborate rain forest filled with mechanical carnivorous plants. It's awe inspiring. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Les Machines grew out of the collective known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_de_Luxe" target="_blank">Royal Deluxe</a>, also in Nantes, who perform monumental relevant street theater with their massive marionettes all over the world. They have a musical component as well, which we had the pleasure to witness and enjoy at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Robodock" target="_blank">RoboDock</a> in 2007. It was a steam engine musical instrument, manipulated by a dozen musicians on various levers and attached instrumentation. The finale was an impressive steam explosion, shrouding everyone in a cloud of warm mist. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Clearly Les Machines and their cohorts was a highlight for us...innovative street theater is bound to provoke and agitate.. both words I enjoy considerably.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The La machine shop...we got to go on a tour and it was as incredible as you may think. The birthplace of the machines of La Machine. We were, truth be told, a little envious...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But back to Maker Faire. With the maker community growing globally, it can both empower and inspire new ideas as well as become a closed circuit of geeks producing the newest nic nac from a 3D printer or laser cutter. In Berlin I came across a project spearheaded by <a href="https://re-publica.com/de/file/republica-2017-sam-bloch-dignity-maker-movement-and-refugees" target="_blank">Sam Bloch,</a> where a trailer was being outfitted to provide maker tools and resources for refugees in Europe, and in some small but significant way, address the humanitarian crisis going on here today. This maker-trailer was on its way to a refugee center in Greece, with the intent to provide tech and building resources for the people to gather and make something they actually need(solar powered street lighting for example).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was struck by how important this link is for the maker movement to stay connected. Bridging the gaps between maker, tech, innovator, resources and addressing current crises is where it gets really exciting. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With a minor reorientation of focus, the future of the maker movement could have endless inspiration from current humanitarian needs, and departing from inventing the next start up tech gadget would be refreshing and worthy growth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I believe this is imperative change for the movement to remain relevant and funded.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We were only in Nantes for a few days, so we did not get to visit </span><a href="http://zad.nadir.org/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">ZAD</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, or Zone A Défendre. ZAD is a well established squatting zone protesting the planned construction of an international airport. "For over 50 years, farmers and locals have resisted the building of a new airport for the French city of Nantes (which by the way already has one). Now in these rich fields, forests and wetlands, which multinational Vinci want to cover in concrete, an experiment in reinventing everyday life in struggle is blossoming. Radicals from around the world, local farmers and villagers, citizen groups, trade unionists and naturalists, refugees and runaways, squatters and climate justice activists and many others, are organizing to protect the 4000 acres of land against the airport and its world. Government officials have coined this place “a territory lost to the republic”. Its occupants have named it: (Zone À Défendre), zone to defend." excerpt from <a href="http://squat.net./">Squat.net.</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhLVuW6zyjeppd77cugbVOyNGqJPSaBgwLPdSLpPa-LeXKHsxuJPCuqNXJepfUBeMuRnsrEbOG6kqcBGVmx97jj2hUXXp_BSLnFLgXf05t6OZDefztVpAJrFN0Nfu6Ux-mwTxOSdtiJg/s1600/Sa+Tuna.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhLVuW6zyjeppd77cugbVOyNGqJPSaBgwLPdSLpPa-LeXKHsxuJPCuqNXJepfUBeMuRnsrEbOG6kqcBGVmx97jj2hUXXp_BSLnFLgXf05t6OZDefztVpAJrFN0Nfu6Ux-mwTxOSdtiJg/s320/Sa+Tuna.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">Now we are back in Barcelona, but just for a minute. I managed to go back to the Costa Brava with Kodiak, to a tiny town called Sa Tuna. While we were enjoying some time with la familia, Christian travelled to Berlin to secure the logistics of our next move. Looks like Berlin is calling! The next chapter of our expat adventure is about to start, and I'm very excited. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">Life is filled with new adventures and my heart is Full.</span></div>
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-58865757859722258122017-06-19T09:07:00.000-07:002017-06-19T09:07:13.387-07:00Urban Jet Setting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's been a busy time here, organizing travel within Europe, meeting new mostly-art-related people and staying in somewhat of a daily routine, which includes a hell of a long commute to Kodiak's school every day. The school is a bit out of the city, but it's a good fit for him, so for now it's what's happening. My ideas about walking around the block to school where shattered by the reality that Catalan public schools are a tough sell for a monolingual mountain boy. The school he is in now is based on Montessori methodology and he is liking it, and he is learning Spanish and Catalan...slowly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We are getting ready to find another place to live as I have way outgrown my rose glasses about living in the heart of the city, which is the tourist mecca of Barcelona. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The city is overflowing with humans, and it's pretty impressive that one can squeeze so many people into this area. I sympathize with the locals about the increasing problem with tourism here. Out our front door now, is like walking into a human traffic jam(w/selfie sticks). I have slowly become less excited to go outside and thus feel pretty cooped up in an apartment (with no outdoor access). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Before we left on this European adventure, my good friend Richard said to me that it would be interesting to see what I learned about myself during this time...and I think of this often, as it really has been a reckoning of my basic needs. Turns out I'm calm and happy in nature, and not so much in the urban jungle. I strongly prefer mountains and way less people. The cultural aspects of urban life are not that intriguing to me, rather something I would be happy to visit. The </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">bureaucracy</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> around everything(especially here in Spain)is stifling, and slow to change. To be fair Spain was under a dictatorship until 1976, and they have come a long way from that since. All these observations make it clear why <b>Taos</b> is my home. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">and...I do find time to go to a remote beach outside the city to play cello with my friend Evie...it was early morning and we played to the big ocean blue. It was serene and beautiful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">This adventure is a piece of a larger puzzle. The pay off in the long run for growing roots in Europe will be to access new ways of thinking and making art, free universities for Kodiak, excellent and affordable healthcare, and hopefully a progressive establishment to live within. Go EU!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When in Europa...we travel! The <b>Venice Biennale </b>was a recent stop, which has been on my to do list for many years, and it was really fun. The art and the happs are well documented on <a href="http://artisthepropertaskoflife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Christian's blog</a>, so I will only share some of my favorite pictures here. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Venice is beautiful- the architecture is elaborate, and sinking...</i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then we went to Berlin.</span> I had not been there since the 80's, wall up and Checkpoint Charlie! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wow... what a difference 28 years makes! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">It's a booming metropolis of international art and culture. Other than the austere German and Russian historical monuments, the city is lively and very green. Berlin has parks EVERYWHERE- and they have rabbits, foxes and squirrels. And lots of bicyclists. The back round noise is techno, playing somewhere, at any time. All of Berlin is a compelling juxtaposition.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk82Avs4_r7pakMaPHocetvjo3HIKkled3cFS7rrC-OrLUNrKI6OdQI9s5z4bmBByoJA_EX16jKU1y6Z8_gdPIgw6tQupu7Y833NSEMEvFaQoLQ5d06PCqEWU78RO6RHwZZ8j5PYlPasA/s1600/berlin+hand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk82Avs4_r7pakMaPHocetvjo3HIKkled3cFS7rrC-OrLUNrKI6OdQI9s5z4bmBByoJA_EX16jKU1y6Z8_gdPIgw6tQupu7Y833NSEMEvFaQoLQ5d06PCqEWU78RO6RHwZZ8j5PYlPasA/s320/berlin+hand.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">We showed the Hand of Man at the Maker Faire and we all had a great time. Kodiak got to play with the Hand with Claire giving tips<span style="font-size: x-small;">(and yawning?)</span>. The <b>Hand of Man</b> was the grittiest thing at Maker Faire, which we are proud of. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">On the flight back, both Christian and I thought that maybe Berlin has a leg up on Barcelona as far as what we do creatively. It was a refreshing reminder of a city where art and freak community is alive and well. I stress the FREAK, as Berlin is famous for it's expressive diversity. Barcelona after Berlin seems downright conservative.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Next we are going to Nantes, France, for the Maker Faire, hosted by none other than <a href="http://www.lesmachines-nantes.fr/" target="_blank"><b>Les Machines</b></a>- the ridiculously incredible art collective that has built an empire of massive kinetic sculptures. I can't wait to see it all, meet them and show Kodiak!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just a note on jet set travel in Europe. It's cheap. It's easy. And it works. It's really just an extension of local public transit and they have it down. There is no comparison with the States. Unfortunately with the detrimental decision to invest in cars (thanks a lot <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ford" target="_blank">Henry Ford)</a>, highways and to subsidize gasoline instead of building railways and investing in public transit, America will be stuck in the past for a long time to come. Not to mention the effects this model has on urban development. I digress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I will end this post with this sweet picture of two happy, grateful people, in <b>Venice</b>. Ciao baby!</span><br />
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-66212080413979686412017-05-13T13:35:00.002-07:002017-05-13T13:35:56.964-07:00Space Travel into the Divided States.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The <a href="http://christianristow.com/" target="_blank">Hand of Man</a> is coming to Europe! To be more specific, Berlin!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwimUJv_JOTkmPFnoVqfndzW_mFIIN_0JyRIUtd1i2RjLlslHdzrciMVQcrddwrCH9T4PQfV9cXaFLHTokjdZtQs4O9IlAw58rBpTix1xJwDUGQ8wwWj5SJCziyr3-vCz8PvbRomql3o/s1600/NightHand+Large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwimUJv_JOTkmPFnoVqfndzW_mFIIN_0JyRIUtd1i2RjLlslHdzrciMVQcrddwrCH9T4PQfV9cXaFLHTokjdZtQs4O9IlAw58rBpTix1xJwDUGQ8wwWj5SJCziyr3-vCz8PvbRomql3o/s320/NightHand+Large.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
With it's car crushing abilities and fun for everyone, we hope that it will be a smashing success here. Booking it was more stressful than usual, with several gigs falling through, but in the end we got it to come to Europe.<br />
This was our one chance to get whatever we needed in the shipping container with the Hand. And so on a two day notice I flew back across the world to my favorite little place on the planet and helped load the Hand and a few other important items heading back here. It was a quick turnaround and it was especially exciting to note the things that are so different between the two places I call home now...<br />
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Loading the Hand into the shipping container was the usual creative hodgepodge with our heavy equipment...and it worked out fine, with Shay as the expert forkie, Oswald and Aaron directing the load, and me, happily handling the <a href="https://www.hiab.com/en/hiab/" target="_blank">HIAB</a> levers of our awesome crane truck, Atlas.<br />
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I managed to squeeze in a walk to the gorge, a moment with my dogs, the mesa and the Mountain.<br />
My thoughts on returning to America are focused in a sharp critical light. Taos, however, is always a refuge.<br />
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My exit port was Paris, pre election, which felt a bit on edge, and upon return and after Macron defeated fascist right wing nut-job LePen, it felt much more relaxed, maybe even jubilant. John Oliver did an excellent piece on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkZir1L7fSY" target="_blank">Last Week Tonight</a> about what this election means for France and Europe, as a whole. France luckily did not follow in Americas footsteps.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAnj4wOnnFlEu7L_P20xBNEDUYMG04XyIl2Tdtw3nfL8MHDQWQ4riYN3CofhqhQ76XW3_xGGzwk_h_LtcfCzBey5EyzuELcQWkAdvQNd_3GYgigT_wO9eQ3TkPfPpRiqdnjkyTWlidOw/s1600/IMG_4160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAnj4wOnnFlEu7L_P20xBNEDUYMG04XyIl2Tdtw3nfL8MHDQWQ4riYN3CofhqhQ76XW3_xGGzwk_h_LtcfCzBey5EyzuELcQWkAdvQNd_3GYgigT_wO9eQ3TkPfPpRiqdnjkyTWlidOw/s320/IMG_4160.JPG" width="240" /></a>My American entry port was Chicago, which was very sobering. I had barely left the plane before being barked at by TSA worker. As if I had broken several laws before I even got to passport control. The general unfriendliness and lack of basic decency is impressive. The crew members from my flight, all of which were EU citizens, rolled their eyes as if this treatment was all too familiar. I did manage to go to the city to see the Chicago Art Museum, which has some great works, but I had to run into this building first, which made me laugh out loud. Was this tower of shame always there? Jeez. And I did note the state of disrepair the city was in. The adverts plastered in the subway show a stark picture..."Depression? Suicide? Join a paid clinical trial for new drugs", or "Cheap Breast Augmentation Procedures", or the "New Underwear that can soak up menstrual blood".....wow. </div>
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I don't remember having been more excited to land in Albuquerque, ever. </div>
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I took a deep breath of relief as I drove up onto to the Taos mesa, noting how good the air smelled. </div>
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I have to admit it was heartening to see the familiar neon dissent signs still present as well. The days flew by and the container got loaded. I had great food and conversation with a few incredible friends. I even got a few scrapes, blisters and splinters! Next thing I know, I was back on a plane, hurtling through space at around 600 miles per hour, heading towards Barcelona.</div>
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...and my heart remains here.</div>
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-29145877426297879342017-04-17T05:13:00.000-07:002017-04-17T05:13:43.758-07:00Pascua de Resurrección! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">No joke! Easter in the Catholic world is not about bunnies, eggs and kids. Nothing like seeing a truly serious and dark religious parade to make you stand up straight and appreciate the American easter bunny. We live about a block away from the Ramblas de Catalunya, historically famous epicenter of the old city. It splits the Raval from the Gotico and is one of the most crowded streets in the city. Almost every day there is some parade, or manifestation(protest) going on somewhere along the 1.2 kilometer street. Also famous for the swath of tourists which I wade through almost daily, it's home for many restaurants, kiosks, living sculptures(street performers), pickpockets and prostitutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And a macabre easter parade....</span> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">even the cops look down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of course there is a drum corp, and bagpipes, to add to the austerity of the experience. And yes, they are barefoot in chains. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the week that was known as Semana Santa, all schools were on holiday, and many shops were closed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of course we took advantage of the time spent together and visited Tarragona's famous aqueduct (really impressive) as well as a boat trip, and spend some time in the nearby mountains.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We rented a tiny zip car, which is a great little treasure in Europe- it costs €3/per hour and you can pick it up next to your house. We drove it out of the city going towards France, into the mountains. There we found beautiful birch forests and thousands of other people with the same hiking itinerary as us. There is a stark difference in nature here, as almost every place has been touched and cultivated by humans. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We hiked all day to find a few places where we managed to take a picture without people in the backround. Nevertheless it was very good for the family to get out and enjoy some fresh mountain air, and we had a great picnic as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I admit that I am happier with more nature around me, ocean or wood. Luckily for me Barcelona has beautiful parks, mountains and a vast ocean all within reach. In the end I am clearly a country gal, nothing in the city can change that. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmrQud9y6NkWABfBy5mgUqJpsHmhlTPCcN9RworWT7xqxe_hEVj8Yseh7F8n14oXWCsJHqrGWLg2YaM7iO47yBJ0iQ9JzQMB5Mz_7m_Tg56vVIQKzLr4iPFRO_nbpakIow2nmQp9nsEU/s1600/On+a+boat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmrQud9y6NkWABfBy5mgUqJpsHmhlTPCcN9RworWT7xqxe_hEVj8Yseh7F8n14oXWCsJHqrGWLg2YaM7iO47yBJ0iQ9JzQMB5Mz_7m_Tg56vVIQKzLr4iPFRO_nbpakIow2nmQp9nsEU/s320/On+a+boat.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The boat Kodiak and I went out on is a beautiful older sailboat, now done up as a pirate ship. It's a great way to get out of the city and on to the wide ocean, and does a loop between the the Port and one of the rivers that boarder Barcelona, the Besós river.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kodiak on the Pirate Ship! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We are all excited to go see our favorite musicians, <b>Filastine & Nova </b>play here in Barcelona, to kick off their 2017 tour of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drapetomania" target="_blank">Drapetomania</a>. They have been working very hard to make this album and it's so cool when your 6 year old notices familiar peeps on the poster bill tacked on a busy Barcelona wall! </span></div>
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-19480341520185251662017-03-22T11:06:00.002-07:002017-03-22T11:06:41.909-07:00Springtime Hiccups<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">t's been a while since the last blog, and in part it's because I can't seem to un-busy myself. I'm like brand new fly paper- I just get covered (not in flies, per se, but in things to do)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Spanish class every day, applications for festivals, meeting people(which usually means a lengthy lunch meeting), cello class, and commuting to Kodiak's school somehow the days go by.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Springtime is always a bit bumpy for me emotionally and that is ringing true here as well. I fluctuate between being inspired to be here to feeling isolated and overwhelmed by the mass amount of people here at any given moment. It's fast paced, loud, obnoxious, dirty, smelly as all big cities are, and there is little room for being soft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is plenty of room however to get all minor health problems taken care of. We have very inexpensive health insurance here and I am taking full advantage of it! Just to compare, which is a bit depressing for people in the States, dental is included in our family plan, which costs us €90 /month. My $4000 implant procedure in the US will cost me less than a quarter of that in Spain. The difference is so stark, it's hard to understand. Repealing the ACA will put us back in the dark ages of healthcare. But I digress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One of the hiccups has been some significant adjustment problems for Kodiak in school, (he is attending a tri-lingual school, with emphasis on English) which has made for an interesting observation. I initially thought that Language would be the most important component of being able to adjust within a school system- no matter how different the school system was. I now think that the System is of greater importance, and the language is secondary. From a tree hugging social emotional learning based school(Anansi) to a conservative authority driven school is quite a leap. My best example would be if I was dropped into a small village in Central Africa, where no one spoke my language, but I recognized the communal aspects of the village and the way in which people related to each other. How would I adapt to this situation versus for example being dropped into a Trump voting community in Oneida, Kentucky, where I would speak the language but not share any common values. I think I would be much better off in Africa. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am going to tell the story of the past few months in pictures, as they often say more than words.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZH8oO_WmmSEcAT6jWxYvdmK1Qr9mKFAonoR77TebvIjsvu2BPUMNdiD0H5dMExYFMSq7VLQRQg3DD8orW6zDp7yv8_9XYayuml5MfeWqH6rZcpu6oSQ2sUNVmG8iGyu7638VZ32Ln1w/s1600/Eno+and+Morozov.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZH8oO_WmmSEcAT6jWxYvdmK1Qr9mKFAonoR77TebvIjsvu2BPUMNdiD0H5dMExYFMSq7VLQRQg3DD8orW6zDp7yv8_9XYayuml5MfeWqH6rZcpu6oSQ2sUNVmG8iGyu7638VZ32Ln1w/s320/Eno+and+Morozov.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My friend Kath made sure I knew about a talk that was happening a block away from our apartment (everything is a block away from our apartment)- Brian Eno spoke with political master mind Evengy Morozov, and it was a memorable evening. This is when I loved the city. The access to brilliant minds and amazing art is of course very seductive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then we flew to Sweden for a very sweet and memorable life event, and here are two pictures from Christian's brother Cles of my favorite place in Sweden- by the cliffs where I used to hang out with my grandparents in the summertime. We went in February, when the brackish water is half frozen, but the landscape is kind of timeless, as are we.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnr86LaM3rgCBw3lwKYmuCAmtVBngqZXr9a3xbhC3gxri6h1K4ne5d4fPGURWUN9xUIRRxwnXp_RtyVjbBOjB5w5uBRLEjSGBMVeANfVqxvq-GVK6owas3ogfW4lPIAlSTlRQJVHCG5E/s1600/Sweden+vigsel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnr86LaM3rgCBw3lwKYmuCAmtVBngqZXr9a3xbhC3gxri6h1K4ne5d4fPGURWUN9xUIRRxwnXp_RtyVjbBOjB5w5uBRLEjSGBMVeANfVqxvq-GVK6owas3ogfW4lPIAlSTlRQJVHCG5E/s400/Sweden+vigsel.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuy3n8WNBGUbmPbmdbkal8JtCRlr5fDVU-3mVnPuIWnapEd13GUkTfE-2kMvrrHW7nvstK3UXaIqbk8wbqxui-vT7lHaHhOL4WOg3TOqxtbFk4s3Mzkrh-jEh17ibjfZxGxAwwLFmQdrg/s1600/Kodiak+by+Cles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuy3n8WNBGUbmPbmdbkal8JtCRlr5fDVU-3mVnPuIWnapEd13GUkTfE-2kMvrrHW7nvstK3UXaIqbk8wbqxui-vT7lHaHhOL4WOg3TOqxtbFk4s3Mzkrh-jEh17ibjfZxGxAwwLFmQdrg/s320/Kodiak+by+Cles.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We had just been visiting the Vasa Museum, which houses a real salvaged 17th Century Galleon, and Kodiak was finishing his very Swedish lunch of meatballs and lingonberry juice...Cles captured his mood and I love this picture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then, once back in Barcelona, it was full making stuff mode, mainly for mackettes for submitting proposals to various festivals. Looks like we will have a busy Summer ahead!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every day in Barcelona there seems to be a festivity of some sort, whether Barcelona's soccer team won over Madrid, which causes a major hoopla in the city- parties all night long to random parades taking place seemingly spontaniously anywhere in the city, to giant puppets parading in the streets or people climbing on top of eachother to create an impressive human pyramid...One day I walked out of the apartment to enjoy this on our street!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">...and now we are almost caught up- We went to see another incredible circus/dance performance by some very talented <a href="http://www.losmonekos.com/" target="_blank">new friends</a>, Sarah and Adriá, and in the beautiful historic building that housed the performance was also a very punchy art exhibit... here is one of the pieces by artist <a href="http://www.ersilias.com/" target="_blank">David Pérez</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NY7YQ2-otLL7eQpX-xZT9z3D5RkiDoR9YB2LR0gTB35SqRvUrs_Lc8B_C-Tibre_eiCMKv0IhW6CPfX5Or_orMyN1msTiaHmLkAl2ZyXcjjXmFmxuhyt0PCPGTB_hMGayaZgrw_2xec/s1600/David+Perez.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NY7YQ2-otLL7eQpX-xZT9z3D5RkiDoR9YB2LR0gTB35SqRvUrs_Lc8B_C-Tibre_eiCMKv0IhW6CPfX5Or_orMyN1msTiaHmLkAl2ZyXcjjXmFmxuhyt0PCPGTB_hMGayaZgrw_2xec/s320/David+Perez.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0G5DxyD84P56wWoPWrxG4huyoLTmv0WEEYnbEwRRigZMgqsZx6QorJi01LHrEveO4A5MPF7UGL6MBn_iUWYKuIP8fe305FbpT3wJKjv9gE4JlmikyOUSaW6eDbEuPVbnL-sPwP43IKU/s1600/bust+w%253A+cedar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0G5DxyD84P56wWoPWrxG4huyoLTmv0WEEYnbEwRRigZMgqsZx6QorJi01LHrEveO4A5MPF7UGL6MBn_iUWYKuIP8fe305FbpT3wJKjv9gE4JlmikyOUSaW6eDbEuPVbnL-sPwP43IKU/s200/bust+w%253A+cedar.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Springtime is also marked by our visiting friends. It's such a joy to share some of our favorite things with our old posse- so here's a few of Cedar. He is staring into the eyes of an old Roman guy, who was uncovered under the city at some point- in the incredible Museum of the History of Barcelona... a few blocks from our apartment. It shows the city as it was in the early centuries BCE.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Below, we are visiting for the (5th?6th?) time one of the most incredible science museums in the world- Cosmo Caixa. Oh, and that would be free entry for those who bank at Caixa, which the vast majority of Spanish do..for the others it's a entire €4....!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCV7g37-Kh4OPPS_i_SZGKQ3rg7WKJIOXtJSwGsGMftceSefPpg9o9gB2VHs4re9fsaaUzVFvRU811SFfJI2ciYqnv4HqJWodwCAPMkO49nb2_BzFWuHyyB4PiLNCaw-PftMZsPaPEhHY/s1600/Cosmo+Caixa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCV7g37-Kh4OPPS_i_SZGKQ3rg7WKJIOXtJSwGsGMftceSefPpg9o9gB2VHs4re9fsaaUzVFvRU811SFfJI2ciYqnv4HqJWodwCAPMkO49nb2_BzFWuHyyB4PiLNCaw-PftMZsPaPEhHY/s320/Cosmo+Caixa.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not bad for accessible science and culture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And yes, that is Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, and Albert Einstein sitting contemplating in wax.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More soon!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Off to see a movie called Captain Fantastic, in it's original version(English) with Catalan subtitles. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Abrazos.</span></div>
Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-3761536753166973722017-01-02T04:40:00.001-08:002017-01-02T07:29:55.489-08:00Swedish Winter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Winter in Sweden is no joke. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Stockholm, during the darkest month of the year, the sky is light at 9:30am and the sun starts setting at 2:30pm. In those few hours of gray daylight, the temperatures are frigid. The Winter is long and if you are a Swede you go on with life in the dark. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We traveled to Stockholm to check in with my parents and to take care of immigration related paperwork. I was born in Stockholm, and though my family traveled all over the world, I spent most of my childhood summers in the beautiful archipelago outside of Stockholm. I have a strong connection with Swedish custom and food, and am bizarrely familiar with the Swedish Way of things. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Swedish cinema is good at depicting this cultural nuance. Some that come to mind are Let the Right One in, My life as a Dog, Bergman's Fanny and Alexander and of course the original mini series The Bridge. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We boarded the 3.5 hour flight, which cost 34 Euros (one way) from a temperate climate to dead Winter. Stockholm is a bustle. Much faster bustle than Barcelona. The most notable trivial things where the speed at which people moved- much faster up North. They where also much more quiet and possibly quite grumpy in comparison to the Spanish. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Christmas was upon us, and there were markets decorated with lights, saffron pastries, handmade toys, tree tchotchkes, and of course the iconic winter drink- Glögg, a hot spiced wine, infused with almonds and raisins. It's quite good in small doses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is in front of the Royal Castle in the Old City of Stockholm. The king still presides here, doing whatever modern Kings do. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kodiak secured a Swedish passport, which I believe is one of the best gifts I can give him- welcome to the European Union. This basically entitles him to work and live anywhere within the currently 27 countries in the EU (barring the UK now) I hope there will still be an EU when he is all grown up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I learned that back in the 1200's Swedes drank either beer or hot mulled wine(aka Glögg)because clean drinking water was a scarcity. The kids back then would eat a porridge made from beer. I imagine in the middle ages, the entire population was a bit tipsy giddy, and thus able to deal with Winters, "medicinal" blood letting practices, public tarring as punishment and the plague just fine. The Plagues, there were three of them, that wiped out about 50% of the population. I spent hours at the Stockholm Medieval Museum, which is fascinating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the highlights was watching the Santa Lucia procession at the 13 century StorKyrkan (big church). The acoustics within those ancient walls was impressive, and the candles and singing together was timelessly beautiful. I love the many varied traditions around Christmas all over the world. The Taos Pueblo christmas eve procession (and fires) being one of my all time favorites. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">You can take the girl out of Sweden, but you can't take the Swede out of the girl.</span></div>
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-20705012811693357442016-12-11T07:44:00.000-08:002016-12-11T08:20:14.266-08:00Autonomous States<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWh7Duj-S99Zu8yXZzk_qg4uSy8w-YYI1AjXwnF5jow5AeVrKHe-pndFSKzbuQyudjK6icCxQW_aaNFAXmRKYSboWYlh8BJwgo9b3FlTpbi06YTIN8XPUqZJtjLgh1TsZBKlZLZVAZYw/s1600/88C0F482-D7AD-4AAC-8DEF-21CDD6883290.full.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWh7Duj-S99Zu8yXZzk_qg4uSy8w-YYI1AjXwnF5jow5AeVrKHe-pndFSKzbuQyudjK6icCxQW_aaNFAXmRKYSboWYlh8BJwgo9b3FlTpbi06YTIN8XPUqZJtjLgh1TsZBKlZLZVAZYw/s200/88C0F482-D7AD-4AAC-8DEF-21CDD6883290.full.JPG" width="85" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Autonomous States for the DisUnited States of America? It's a question I have been pondering for a long time, and now more than ever it seems like a relevant topic. I too, have been feeling overwhelmed by the supposed election results, with feelings delving into depression, fear, anger and despair. I know I am not alone, and I know it's normal, in light of the election and what it means for America. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can offer some perspective from Europe, based on what people are saying and what's covered in the news. In Sweden, for example, todays newspaper is reporting that there is strong evidence pointing to Russia having influenced the US election in Trumps favor. That report is a front page item. It is clear, if the supposed election results stand unchallenged, that the time has come to resist in every way possible. If we all engage in resistance, in whatever way we can, we can demonstrate to our neighbours and the world that this unfortunate situation does not represent our values and beliefs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We are not powerless! The power of "we" is one of the reasons my family and I decided to move to Europe in the first place. It's an opportunity to show Kodiak a different way of operating in society- away from the "I" that is the foundation of the States and a chance to live within a "we" place. Both the "I" and the "We" have important attributes and this is not about putting one over the other, rather offering a different way of being.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A small but significant observation I have had in Barcelona is how much fear I carry. What streets are safe to walk on? Who should I avoid? How late can I walk around? Am I safe alone in the subways at night? Basic concerns in America. I have repeatedly heard from friends living here, that one may get pick pocketed but they wont hurt you. You can walk anywhere, anytime as a woman. You can wear whatever you want. Really? What? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Oh right, I just came from a completely armed population, many of which are medicated and mentally ill. Anything can happen at any time. And terrible things do happen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Quite a stark contrast, non? And why is America armed again? So they can overthrow an oppressive government one day? Maybe that time is near? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I promise I will not be blogging about the sad state of American politics again. I was inspired to design a new flag- for the Autonomous States, a symbol of resistance perhaps. I was directly inspired by the flag of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalonia" target="_blank">Catalonia</a>- a very independent, autonomous region- always fighting for self determination to be recognized by Spain. The Catalonian flag can be seen hanging from many balconies all over the city. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senyera" target="_blank">Legend</a> has it that the four red bars are symbolic of King Charles(the bald) bloody fingers running down the shield of the Count of Barcelona, Wilfred I (the Hairy) as he was dying during the siege of Barcelona in 897. The blood was that of the dying Count and that image was transcribed onto the flag. I have compiled a few of my favorite pictures of the Catalonian independence flag below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vzIZPGb9e-UgXUA1a4kpGYjoM9Joc9jhbINsXmg698Coa1wc1rDGzsSbl29qtPC3enKF2oQvZc24PA6tpIAiIJ8zfUIcCK0gShM6TZY1mZdzC33wjZhmE3Plcf98HFMmb2mkSsv0qvk/s1600/Catalonia+flags.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vzIZPGb9e-UgXUA1a4kpGYjoM9Joc9jhbINsXmg698Coa1wc1rDGzsSbl29qtPC3enKF2oQvZc24PA6tpIAiIJ8zfUIcCK0gShM6TZY1mZdzC33wjZhmE3Plcf98HFMmb2mkSsv0qvk/s640/Catalonia+flags.jpg" width="640" /></a></span><br />
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-62754038210361538232016-11-17T02:57:00.002-08:002016-11-17T02:57:08.963-08:00El Raval<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are many neighbourhoods, or Barrios in Barcelona. Each famous for one thing or another. We ended up renting an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrer_del_Carme,_Barcelona" target="_blank">apartment</a> in <b>El Raval</b>, in the Ciutat Vella, where buildings and people are in dense proximity. The Raval, famous for its vibrant nightlife, immigrant community and supposedly prostitution is also the home of the Boqueria, Barcelona's largest food market. It's border is La Rambla where it turns into the labyrinth of the Barrio Gotico. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Considering our place is a 5 minute walk to a sewing co-op, playgrounds, language schools, clandestine puppet theaters, the Museum of Modern Art, the library, a woman run smithy, the Opera, hardware stores, art supplies, the metro and bus lines, clothing shops, some of our favorite expat friends, and a host of excellent restaurants and bars as well as the Boqueria, it really is <b>unbeatable. </b>It has just the right amount of <b>grit</b> as well, which I appreciate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our Barrios landmark, the <b>Raval Cat</b> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Botero" target="_blank">Fernando Botero</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kodiak is impressed with his balls. Indeed spaying and neutering animals here seems unusual, and most dogs I have seen are fully intact. Not that there is an overpopulation of dogs though..</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A note on children in Barcelona. There are a lot of them! And there are playgrounds seemingly on every corner. And the playgrounds are not some old rusty swingsets, rather an array of modern wood style contraptions in various shapes and colors. They are incredible. And the kids here are out and about all day and night. It is clear that children are revered here and it is common to find a playground next to a tapas bar, where the parents are sharing an afternoon <i>Vermut</i> while the kids are monkeying around on high tech playground engineering. So civilized.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUD2nlxERYi6Ge1tMdi7mrNMm92rERcrZ-2_BPV21LiVimP-SnDREY8Zk2QCY-Lw8Y_p-lLlSpGKGHw6wr5DwLc3i0WB6Jg22hLzK2LKMytjhpaMs6bJi-RohzXoT9zK681JT3e1L_G7o/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUD2nlxERYi6Ge1tMdi7mrNMm92rERcrZ-2_BPV21LiVimP-SnDREY8Zk2QCY-Lw8Y_p-lLlSpGKGHw6wr5DwLc3i0WB6Jg22hLzK2LKMytjhpaMs6bJi-RohzXoT9zK681JT3e1L_G7o/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The elaborate entrance to the Boqueria, in November, ie. not the high tourist season. I brace myself for the amount of people this city will hold in the Summer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Newly dead fowl, and fresh rabbit, ready for cooking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">...and of course fish and octopus....</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_p5237mzOdAWZpcAW18o39eELzyOuukt5_U5F3BAopilcFryczEz27Loz5NLIdvabn3bLTTzSIHerqb3fEjp8_1nDBSkS67fyh01OduMbnvAFhzMbTbHcOHVJ3V4mTy6tqyyd4ZUF1b0/s1600/pulpo.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_p5237mzOdAWZpcAW18o39eELzyOuukt5_U5F3BAopilcFryczEz27Loz5NLIdvabn3bLTTzSIHerqb3fEjp8_1nDBSkS67fyh01OduMbnvAFhzMbTbHcOHVJ3V4mTy6tqyyd4ZUF1b0/s320/pulpo.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">El Raval is also conveniently close to the Ocean. A walk to the beach is about 25 minutes. We walk a lot every day and after a few weeks of serious shin splints, I have noticed that we are joining the ranks of Catalans with calves of steel. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ttQLnMQ_OYtwrk9kj8nNoVgawGMIK5QIvWmiFdFIbFxe_YxTnTkU-0mI4X9LoaR4eas_M5ELGJsySs64G71fjNQs2IMm-nqmbYEOltIhd3fqU2KqMgtDFdKMsND25YuDhvqw8D_SeQA/s1600/beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ttQLnMQ_OYtwrk9kj8nNoVgawGMIK5QIvWmiFdFIbFxe_YxTnTkU-0mI4X9LoaR4eas_M5ELGJsySs64G71fjNQs2IMm-nqmbYEOltIhd3fqU2KqMgtDFdKMsND25YuDhvqw8D_SeQA/s400/beach.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Ocean is such a welcome respite from the hustle and the bustle of the big metropolis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every morning before day break, when Barcelona actually sleeps, I can hear the squawking cries of the seagulls, I take a breath and I remember where I am.</span><br />
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5382918052930486595.post-24867175975669742212016-11-13T12:34:00.000-08:002016-11-13T12:45:19.436-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We arrived in Barcelona, Spain from Taos, New Mexico. The contrast of the two places is stark, and it would take anyone a little time to adjust to the change. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We landed in a ikea furnished Airbnb on a small street with constant scooter and car traffic. Airbnb's are more and more rare in this city as they are driving the housing market up through the roof and pissed off the Hoteliers. And in Barcelona, if something is unpopular and not working for the good of the people, they take measures to deal with it-there are steep fines for those who run unregulated Airbnb's.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The noise pollution was the first thing I had to work around, with a good set of earplugs to wear at night. The city really picks up after 6PM and it goes seemingly all night long, my country living sleep schedule needed some tuning as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The sheer volume of humans in this City is impressive. With over 1.5 Million within the City and almost 5 Million people around the "suburbs"; that made Taos, with it's 6000 people, smaller than a tiny section of a Barcelona Barrio. OOUF. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To live here one has to grow a thicker outer layer of proverbial skin. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One month has passed and I'm well into reading George Orwell's"Homage to Catalonia", and slowly soaking up the complex historical essence of this amazing place. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This web-log will serve as my journal as an expatriate, living and creating abroad, and hopefully, keep my friends close as we stumble gracefully into the future together.</span><br />
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Christ.INAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635487029707544772noreply@blogger.com0Cataluña, Spain38.272688535980976 -0.70312510.872490035980977 -42.011719 65.672887035980978 40.605469