yyt

to-day even though it isn't supposed to be turned into a wrapping up day. for even though people said that i'll be back i remember that 25 year hiatus between trips to rio de janeiro. it started out normal enough. with the gathering around to look at the capelin. after i left it became even more of a scene as at one time there were about 50 people staring down at the stage by the town hall there was a traffic jam.

packed to see if it were possible. seems like i am o.k. headed over to the school to give mike john corbett's e-mail - again he knew john corbett but didn't know of the 'tute - also to scrounge some more for my found objects book in preparation for the new residency and exhibition space. thought more about the show i'm curating next summer.

headed into st. john's to the chapters to buy canadian art and border crossings - was also looking for mix. took the transcanada that main road that links not only the province but the nation that spine in the island so one can go from coast to coast to coast. got off some 10 km later at thorbourn (sp) road to kenmount.

thought about heading over to the saturn, saab isuzu dealer for a plate protector to be cool when i have to return. and to drive saturn of waukesha crazy. had no room however so gave it a pass.

into st. john's to post the blog, then answer e-mail. st. john's was sultry no one is used to the 28 degree weather yet. jim shows me a passage from a book - innocents in newfoundland - or something like that in which jim - a chronic alcoholic, wordplay and pouch cove are mention. a new supply of nfld lit books came in - new michael crummey, rare birds which was filmed in newfoundland. they were added to my list of books being shipped back. with those and and the letter press chapbooks from the craft council, i'm set for sometime. bought two prints at st. michael's print shop. talked again to the woman from whom i got information in case i want to try to lead a study trip up here - fat chance with the dean if it ain't poor, southern and exotic - cuba, south africa, vietnam - it ain't got a chance. my first stay on the rock was delayed a year when she rejected the request - i think i got to the "found" in newfoundland when the "no" was uttered. she had no problem heading on to south africa 12 september 2001. wow deans her and the patronising of the world and the one at beloit who quarantines people from countries with s.a.r.s.

bought my two samosas from authur, authur and headed out to the outer battery to find ray. felt reassured that the bubble by the battery was there for i couldn't find the one at the bottom of prescott street. the gulls were having a grand time going through the sewerage.

bert sparkes was out in sea city view, i wish i had seen his fallout shelter. he goes there when he and the missus have a falling out. not as many tourists to-day but people complaining about the hills.

thought that ray's place was a real dump but was looking at the wrong place. his has a great view of the harbour is one of the tallest houses in the outer battery and quite nice. yelled at him for not returning my phone call. if i have to use a phone you better bloody well pick it up. sat chatted, told me about his plan to try to have summer workshops at the college where he is teaching as the place is empty when school is not in. it was a strange thing brian tobin did moving offices and the like from st. john's but not moving any of the life style so the i.t school of the province is in stephenville. nothing else is in stephenville. the cruellest joke played on artists here wa placing the art school in corner brook a city with three galleries. 700km from the cultural centre of the province. like just about everyone he wants to make the avalon a place where all sorts of creativity goes on.

it would be great i could be here and get paid while doing my own work, i wouldn't have to set up a darkroom here and the one remaining stressful part of my life would disappear.

back down duckworth when it started to hit me that there were little things that i didn't do - eat international flavours, photograph ziggy peelgoods when it was closed and alone in front of the scotia bank building. the conveniences at dusk when they delineate the corners. a film at the avalon, music at the ship. seeing if i can survive the spur. a night game at st. pat's. ice cream at moo moo's - that was solved immediately. i was only mildly aware that i wouldn't behere at this time to-morrow. i had said good-bye to some people but it hadn't hit. i had my globe and was heading a bit later to the duke. it was nice evening so i sat along harbour drive to read the paper - didn't photograph the irving sign on the south side hills.

the bubble reassuringly reappeared. that perfect circle where when standing in a certain spot the narrows is directly behind it with signal hill and fort amherst leading the eye to it.

headed to the duke with ann as jim went home. the usual crowd was there again reassuringly normal like every night. the unofficial game of the evening - who can bum more ciggies - twenty something woman or fiftysomething tourist it seems all i have to do is feign shock at the prices and voilà - no i don't smoke. roz's husband has the line of the evening - this is newfoundland you can smoke anywhere. made fun of the poseurs chatted had three slow pints.

walked slowly through st. john's at night to take in people simply living there. looked into their lit houses. there was a night walking tour taking place. headed down gower. looked out to signal hill, down toward the lspu hall, down holloway , to kings got in the caravan drove down gower to the old mile one of the trans canada back up through rawlin's cross. down bannerman where i could see the lights of st. pat's on the left in the near distance. a night game - turned right for the ride out to pouch.


before i forget
thanks jim yet again for putting me up and putting up with me.
thanks angie for giving as good i give people from fogo aren't all that bad.
thanks jen considering the parentage…
thanks sharon for telling me more about pouch.
thank russell, vince, ted, ted, kelly and sam for making me feel like a resident albeit a c.f.a.
thanks diane for letting me use the library computer.
thanks martin and gabrielle one day i hope to meet you martin.
thanks jane for liking my work enough to display it.
thanks sheri for posting hat impossibly long list of books to add to my can nfld lit shelf.
thanks tania for not being crushed under the shelf - that would have made for a strange posr card.
thanks lori - that is your name isn't it - for letting send the blog from your computer.
thanks terry for not kicking me out of the duke when ray recognised me.
thanks ann for being horrified about the death of josh
thanks heidi for the home made pad thai - without the fish sauce and the home made bread. dinner at midnight isn't bad at all
thanks chris for pad thai frittata the next day.
thanks malcolm and sherry for a nice evening of ranting in pouch.
thanks mike for showing me why i should regulate my caffeine.
thanks ray for keeping me in mind for the new photo department at the c.n.a. - the way the silver knight is running the 'tute i may need it in a couple of years.
thanks luke, stumpy, kevin, yvette, the two painters, the woman sunbathing in st. vincent's, the two people who sold me strawberry kiwi drink in the battery. the two ontarians wondering what capelin are, robert and jill, dan, and dan, the woman at number 42 main road in bauline who photographed the watercolourists, paul geordie. the enlglands, john browne, vicky hynds and all the rest who put up with my making snaps of them. and reassuring me that i am not the only one who sees bush as a dangerous imbecile.

my russian teacher at beloit used to say - constantly - if i had more time i would have written a shorter letter. i stand by that.

this sucks anyway. going out into the world there can only be an oprah like honesty. things have to be couched, for instance i feel that the president of that august institution in chicago is as incompetent as the president of the u.s. both put us in debt neither will take responsibility but here i can only allude to my feelings.
also not wanting to make this my life i found that i was spending too much time.

it was an experiment i know not to do it again or to do it radically modified.