Archive for April, 2008

The Flying Fan

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008


This past Sunday, Jill and I went out to MoMA to look around for a bit, starting at the top of the museum and working our way back down to the ground level.  Every so often we would be able to get a glimpse into the large atrium of the Contemporary Gallery where a large electric fan tethered to the ceiling was flying about.

To watch it was to be captivated by its motion, as this rather short video I made shows.  I certainly wasn’t the only one, as every child that walked by had to try to jump and catch it.  At its lowest point it couldn’t have been more than 7 or 8 feet off the ground.

I neglected to find out who the artist is or what this piece is really called.  Bad Andrew.

Song is “Convenience Shopping” by Alan Hawkshaw.

Curse

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

I was in a good mood all day yesterday, until I tried to step off the subway at the Port Authority.  The platform was thick with people at every door, and barely a soul moved.  I was at the doors with a mass of humanity ready to run me down from behind at the first sign of hesitation — starting gates for the rat race, I suppose.

The doors open and I’m propelled forward, trying to jump between open spaces.  All of the sudden when I’m knocked into by someone and nearly thrown off balance.  Had I fallen, there was about a two foot difference between being launched into a wall or back towards the now-departing train.  As I pressed forward, my head filled with utterances and before my mind could send the signal to my mouth to clamp down and prevent any syllables from escaping, I curse loudly.

Happily, nothing came from this, but its just the latest incident in an ongoing trend.  These foul words have moved from the back of my mind to the front; low grumbles to softly spoken specks of spite.  I fear the day I lose complete control of my internal censor and I say something loud and vulgar enough that someone takes action against me.

Just something I’ve picked up more and more from my northern home, I suppose.