Kosmos: World as Adornment

One day last spring, when Cosmo was still fairly spherical, he was lying on the bed and I started thinking about what it would be like if the Kosmos were like our Cosmo.  I didn't get very far, but I'll probably never finish this, so I offer it as a tribute to our sorely missed friend:

Cosmo is big and round.  Cosmo is a prefect sphere.  The sphere is a perfect shape.  The sphere is all points a certain distance from one point and so it is perfect. The points are on the surface of the sphere, so you can see them whenever you want.

Cosmo never answers any questions.  Cosmo doesn't like to answer questions.  Cosmo doesn't need to answer any questions because the answers are all on the surface.  They are all on the outside where they can be seen so there is no need to answer any questions.

Someone wanted to spell it with a k and a z.  She said otherwise it would be too heavy.  Cosmo is a little heavy but that’s no reason why not to spell his name correctly.

Cosmo is very watchful, but he includes all things in himself.  You just have to calculate the distance from the center and you realize that it’s all there.

Cosmo’s unity delights us.  Cosmo cannot be divided, even in perception, without sorrow.

Farewell to Cosmo Lemurstein

Last night we said goodbye to Cosmo, our dear friend for fifteen years. Mira had it right when she said, "It's very unusual to have a space alien for a housepet."

Holiday in Berlin: Full Blown (Reprise)

Back in Berlin after 30 years or so. Been traveling with Indi across Germany over the past week, picking up Mira and Jai in Rot-an-der-Rot and Leipzig respectively, with a stop-over with friends in Hamburg in between. Never really thought of this as a holiday destination, but it is interesting and you know plus ca change ...

I had a Spartans dream, and a nice one: we were driving in James's old 88 and he was singing a song he'd made up, a Beefheart howl called, "I Can't Couple" and Stephen was riding shotgun, gentle as a lamb and Jimmy had a bunch of new songs he wanted to teach me. I had my ukulele with me and I couldn't wait to learn the new songs.  I was happy that we were all together.

Weekending

My blind and disabled friend Pat the Peacewalker and I brought our message of large pink tricycles and happy smiles to Takoma Park, Maryland's annual fourth of July parade. The weather was nice. Jessie marched with the swim team, and Ellen and Annie helped fill out the audience.

The Flag Day performance was fun. We had a capacity crowd of 35 or so, peanuts by Washington Mall street performance standards, but capacity for the hair salon/loft. The hostess made some beautiful food and bought plenty of drinks. I had expected just some cheese and raw vegetables and a bottle of white wine, but beauticians know how to throw a do. We'll be presenting a new show at the end of August, this one with music, text and film. I'll be doing a piece I presented a few years ago, based on the "Way to Sea" section of Witchenbye. I'll be in the market for texts, sounds and songs, so Jim please take notes during your Jubilee Sabbatical and pass them on. (I'm always counting on Jimmy and Peter for material). The texts of the other pieces that were performed are now available at http://www.betweenartandlife.com/ for the interestial.

Family travels

Since Jimmy regaled us with the globe-trotting exploits of his crew, I thought I would tell you a little news of my own. Ellen and the girls are headed off to Invercargill, New Zealand (see map) for a year in September. Ellen has always wanted to take advantage of some of the international opportunities that exist for medical professionals, and now that the girls can take care of themselves, they are all going to go for it. For Jessie, it is a unique opportunity to get two summer vacations in one year, and for Annie, it is chance to stay out of college and do some backpacking and stuff for a year. I will probably go down for a visit in January, and I hope to turn it into an around-the-world adventure through Mumbai and Europe. I am planning a career change myself, since I have lost interest in computer programming (I was never really that interested in it), so I hope to spend most of the year at one of our local universities, meeting new people and ideas. On the other hand, I could just hide in my office and sink more deeply into depression. What do you think?

BTW: When you've had your car break in half in Zell am Ziller, Rot am Rot is entirely believable. Other folks, however, have been known to refuse to acknowledge the truth about both Rolla Costa and Regula Pickel. I try to forgive them, and I pity them.

peace,
jim