Thirty Days in April

I guess I should come up with more creative titles if I'm going to keep this up.  That's not really the point, though I'm not always sure what is.  In other news, I'm adding Song of the Day for your auditory and ocular enrichment.  Don't read too much into that – it's just whatever is in my ear.  If you missed them, here are links to last month's posts:

Thirty-One Days in March (Part 1)

Thirty-One Days in March (Part 2)

Monday – 01 April 2013  

The color is finally starting to come in around the backyard.  I brought a few sprouts of this Vinca vine home from my Mom in Mississippi a couple summers ago in a plastic bag, haphazardly planted it around that old pine in the corner and it comes back bigger and stronger and more every year.  That is truly amazing.

Song of the Day:  Mr. Blue Sky - E.L.O.

Tuesday – 02 April 2013  

More back yard color.  I'm not sure what this is but it blooms every spring in spite of me having transplanted it from across the way right after I moved in.  They haven't grown an inch in years but they always bloom. 

Song of the Day:  That's My Baby - Sleeper Agent

Wednesday – 03 April 2013 

I'm only slightly aware of how ridiculous it is that today's highlight was going to see the eye doctor.  Good to be back in contacts though and better that I get to put my glasses on the shelf for a bit.  

Song of the Day:  Happy Kid - Nada Surf

Thursday – 04 April 2013

I put the small final touches on blue tonight.  I think it's a good piece – the feeling of knowing when a painting is complete never gets old. 

Song of the Day:  Keep Yourself Alive - Queen 

Friday – 05 April 2013

Soup! 

Song of the Day:  Flavor of the Weak - American Hi-Fi

Saturday – 06 April 2013

After a long winter's nap in the basement, she started on the first pull!  And I finished the yard work before noon on this beautiful spring day.

Song of the Day:  In a Big Country - Big Country

Sunday – 07 April 2013

Spent some much needed quality time with my imaginary girlfriend Grace Potter in Centennial Park this afternoon.  Free show. Spring in the ATL. Hot blonde playing a Flying 'V'.  Outstanding!

Song of the Day:  Sweet Hands - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Monday – 08 April 2013

The best part of my day was actually driving home ripping air guitar to the new Clutch record but that's hard to capture in an image so here's some more random spring.  

Song of the Day:  Earth Rocker - Clutch

Tuesday – 09 April 2013

It doesn't look like much.  And I'm not sure what marketing genius dreamed up the name as it literally resides at the geographical center of the metro.  It does however qualify as a dive and they have above average wings – that's a win / win on a Tuesday.

Song of the Day:  City of Angels - The Distillers

Wednesday  – 10 April 2013

I guess working in the suburbs does have its perks.

Song of the Day:  Griselda - Yo La Tengo  

Thursday  – 11 April 2013

Finally, a day of cleansing showers to knock down some of this pollen.

Song of the Day:  Chickamauga - Uncle Tupelo

Friday – 12 April 2013

Son Volt at Terminal West.  Incredible.  

Song of the Day:  Hearts and Minds - Son Volt

Saturday – 13 April 2013

Great, fun, weird as always.  An unexpected bonus was the opener Moon Hooch – new favorite band. 

Song of the Day:  Why Does the Sun Shine - They Might Be Giants

Sunday – 14 April 2013

Finally.

Song of the Day:  Ain't Waitin' - Justin Townes Earle

  

Monday – 15 April 2013

There might be nothing better than coming home to this crazy face everyday.  She's chewed that nasty ball completely in half (again) and she still wants to play.  You have to love her dedication.  I feel very lucky today in light of the tragedy in Boston – Godspeed the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.  

Song of the Day:  I Don't Want to Grow Up - The Ramones

R.I.P Joey Ramone (05.19.1951 - 04.15.2001)

Tuesday – 16 April 2013

On a site visit in Hogansville (halfway between Atlanta and nowhere) I was reminded again just how much I love steel.  Beautiful, no?  Didn't expect to find a quality Greek restaurant this far into the hinterland either, but the souvlaki at Niko's was right on time. 

Song of the Day:  Stranger Than Fiction - Bad Religion

Wednesday – 17 April 2013

What's better than your day starting with a neighbor's tree falling and missing both your house and your beloved dogwood?  Ending it with a greasy Milo's cheeseburger!  I think I will like these Tuscaloosa site visits after all.   

Song of the Day:  Bodegas and Blood - Butch Walker

Thursday – 18 April 2013

Fun with macro and inspiration for a new piece perhaps.

Song of the Day:  Flake - Jack Johnson

Friday – 19 April 2013

Company retreat deep in the heart of suburbia.  Gorgeous view from the back deck but a little too manicured for my tastes – the inhabitants of such environments make me nervous.   

Song of the Day:  Rip and Tear - L.A. Guns

Saturday – 20 April 2013

Annual crawfish boil in the 'burbs.  Delicious food, good people, frisbee sticks and fun for all, same as every time.  Lagniappe of bacon wrapped duck breast with a grilled beef heart chaser just because.

Song of the Day:  Tones of Home - Blind Melon

Sunday – 21 April 2013

Neglected the balance of my weekend list and spent a lazy Sunday with the pups in the backyard.

Song of the Day:  My Favorite Things - Me First & The Gimme Gimmes 

Monday – 22 April 2013

This morning I took my studio to see a facility I designed for PPG last year.  I'm proud of the project. Architecture in a general sense is a crap shoot due to forces typically outside of our control.  For what it is, this one worked.

Song of the Day:  All Along The Watchtower - Richie Havens

R.I.P Richie Havens (01.21.1941 - 04.22.2013)

Tuesday – 23 April 2013

Some days ten bucks on a five dollar scratch off is epic.  Today was thus.  

Song of the Day:  Same In The End - Sublime

Wednesday – 24 April 2013

Quick, effectively pointless trip to Savannah today, but I sure do love flying back into Atlanta (even if I do suck at taking pictures from an airplane.)   

Song of the Day:  Home - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Thursday – 25 April 2013

Sat in on final juries at SPSU for a bit today.  It's equally refreshing and terrifying to be around young fertile minds.  That's a story for another day I suppose.  Meantime, I painted this little piece on the bathroom wall – owning the walls is a good thing when out of canvas.

Song of the Day:  Onion Skin - Boom Crash Opera

Friday – 26 April 2013

I attended the ribbon cutting / dedication ceremony for one of my firm's projects this afternoon.  The Wrangler factory in Hackleburg, Alabama was completely destroyed in the 27 April 2011 tornado outbreak, but they decided to stay and rebuild on the same site.  We designed their new state of the art facility and also designed a memorial that recognized all of the (52) individuals who died in the (3) county area where Wrangler employees live.  It was an honor to be there today and to play a small part in putting this community back together.  What I saw today is possibly the best case scenario of the human condition.  That said, the best part of my human condition was stepping out of this minivan with wings unscathed (these little planes bug me out in thunderstorms).

Song of the Day:  I Sang Dixie - Dwight Yoakam

Saturday – 27 April 2013

(9) holes of rain free golf in the morning, lunch at La Fonda and a pig roast on the outskirts with good friends – it should probably be against the law to have as much fun as I had today. 

Song of the Day:  Live on Stage - Dilated Peoples

Sunday – 28 April 2013

Rainy, nap-filled, Netflix Sunday with the kids and a fever and a migraine.

Song of the Day:  If I Ever Leave This World Alive - Flogging Molly

Monday – 29 April 2013

I stopped by the pet store on the way home to get the pups some grub and damn near walked out with one of these little guys.  I should put it to a vote but I think the studio could benefit from having a mascot (or two).

Song of the Day:   Pancho and Lefty - Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard

Tuesday – 30 April 2013

At a SIOR event, I played the Piedmont Driving Club today which by all accounts is equal to Augusta National.  It was a helluva course and just being there definitely elevated my game – best round of golf for me maybe ever.  I didn't belong there though did I?  Should I really have a caddy?  With a 20+ handicap?  Days like this make me equally question and relish the path I've chosen.  To have the opportunity to play a track like this is truly incredible, unprecedented even, but these aren't my people.  The guys I was grouped with were cool and I wasn't the worst golfer so that was a bonus.  I never felt comfortable though.  Long hair and tattoos is evidently less than common at PDC.  I'm cool with being a public course kind of a guy.  I get it, but I had a (500) dollar day on (60) bucks in tips – life could be worse.  Honestly, just being there made me feel like a sellout...but damn that was a beautiful amazing course.

Song of the Day:  To Have and Have Not - Lars Frederiksen And The Bastards

Tomorrow is May.  That's (31) more opportunities to get prepared for VAHI.

Motherless Child

Richie Havens had a heart attack and died today in New Jersey.  That's a damn shame, and on Earth Day of all days.  If his singular musical style over the last 40+ years wasn’t astounding enough, he dedicated much of his life to educating children about the importance of protecting the environment. His response when asked why?  "Children study the land, water, and air in their own communities and see how they can make positive changes from something as simple as planting a garden in an abandoned lot."  A straightforward grassroots approach that could literally alter the course of the planet if we were to all follow his example in our random small corners of the world.  If you’ve never heard of him or know him only as the opening act at Woodstock, look him up.  I don’t think I’ll spoon feed you this one.

R.I.P. old friend.  

Richard P. "Richie" Havens

21 January 1941 - 22 April 2013

The Thing about Cool Hand Luke

I read Cool Hand Luke several times a year (depending on the year) and watch the movie that many times or more.  Every time I do one or the other I see a new thing about it that makes me get the thing even more.  Writers more gifted than I espouse enormous elaborate theories about the movie and the book – the symbolism of this or that scene or passage, the biblical references and underlying themes, the real meaning of Boss Godfrey’s name, the significance of the song Luke sings when his mother dies, etc. etc. ad nauseam.  They go so far as to paint young Lucas as a Christ figure citing his crucifixion-like pose after he eats the (50) eggs and further that his devouring of said eggs is emblematic of his having devoured the sins of the (50) prisoners in the camp.  And still farther by comparing Dragline to Judas Iscariot at the end.  That’s fantastic – possibly ridiculous.  I won’t even go as far to say that those subtle and not so subtle cues and innuendos aren’t there or that this interpretation isn’t exactly what Rosenberg or even Pearce intended with the story.  What I will say is that the thing about Cool Hand Luke is much less complicated.

 

I admit that there are aspects of Luke’s personality and performance that indicate that he is searching for, begging for even an explanation of his own existence but is that really that odd, does that have to be tied to a biblical or even a cultural phenomenon?  Think about it in the context in which it was written and later filmed – that’s maybe what the ‘60s were in a nutshell.  It was a time of revolutionary thought, right?  So it’s easy to understand how Luke could be put upon a pedestal as a hero, a lone wolf fighting against the oppression of societal norms.  And that is in fact part of what makes him cool, but what’s more striking and is in my opinion the framework around which the story is constructed is the manner in which he was; his mocking affability when he was first arrested, his quiet defiance when they put him in the box after his Arletta passed – "Callin' it your job don't make it right, boss.".  Why he was arrested in the first place is even cool – for cutting the heads off of parking meters because there’s not much else to do in Eaton.

Without the movie and without Paul Newman’s defining portrayal of the character I don’t think it would have such cultural significance.  I love The Color of Money and HUD and his kick-ass spaghetti sauce and pizza and salsa or whatever but, Paul Newman is and will forever be only one thing – Cool Hand Luke.   That’s what made Luke cool: that’s what made Newman cool.  Understanding that symbiotic relationship between character and actor is imperative to understanding Cool Hand Luke.  The book is the book and it’s amazing but the cinematic face that Newman gave to the faceless printed Luke is indescribable really.  When I read the book now, it’s his face I see – Paul and Luke are inseparable.   

I can’t get behind the majority of the phenomenal pile that has been attributed to the movie, but I will allow this small piece of symbolism and it translates to everyday life.  There is hardly a day that passes in my professional and even my personal life where this statement doesn’t ring true.  Make of that what you will but if you’re honest you know it too:  “What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week. Which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. I don't like it any more than you do.” In that regard, Luke does probably represent the disaffected youth of that time.  Tow the line.  Be a team player.  Be an anonymous cog in the wheel of the machine, because they tell you to or because that’s how we do things here.  Isn’t that what we are all taught both implicitly and explicitly our whole lives?  Luke upsets the balance in the camp by going against the current, by being different, by attempting to be an individual even though he doesn’t know how to be.  What’s his reward for not falling in line lockstep behind the other zombies?  He is disposed of. He is killed – devoured by the system. 

If there is any hidden meaning in the story, the movie more so than the book, it’s the opposite of what most people think it is, myself included.  Luke isn’t the hero we all want him to be.  Luke isn’t celebrated for fighting the system; he is cast out of it.  The message that so many have tried to find in the story may be just the opposite of what I’ve always thought that it was.  The movie doesn’t celebrate individualism; it’s a lesson in why you shouldn’t be an individual.  It’s a cautionary tale.  That’s disappointing, isn’t it?  Maybe that’s why so many have tried to assign a higher meaning to the film.  Is Cool Hand Luke really little more than right-wing conservative propaganda?  If you advertise enough fear and sell enough fantasy about the perils of upsetting the heard, eventually we will all buy in.  Most of us already have and shudder at the thought of not disappearing silently into the homogenized mass of humanity that pop culture insists that we are. 

The last couple of paragraphs illuminate the dangers of thinking too much about a simple thing.  I almost singlehandedly talked myself out of my own adoration of the character, the book and the film.  My whole thesis morphed into whatever it is now by going down that path and I’m not sure I’ve written what I sat down to write about in the first place.  Here’s the thing, you can find a unicorn in a cloud formation or the face of the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich if you look hard enough, but I think you are missing the point if you do.  The cloud formation is the beautiful thing.  The grilled cheese sandwich is the beautiful thing.  Why not appreciate just that? 

Cool Hand Luke may indeed represent all of the ideas I scoff at that others have ascribed to him.  And if that’s what he is to you, that’s fine; everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  You probably don’t even have an opinion on the matter and there’s no reason why you should.  For what it’s worth, to me, Luke is just cool and that in of itself is the beautiful thing.  That fact for me doesn’t need to be spun around or filtered through any theology or ideology to understand it – it stands on its own; has its own merit.  Life is complicated enough, isn’t it?  Why make difficult that which is simple and pure by creating and assigning undue significance to a fictional character of all things, a story, just to give it a supposed deeper meaning.   

The thing about Cool Hand Luke that makes it genius is that Luke is simply cool. 

End of list.