Night time percussion.

Drum Circle. Djembe. Hand drums. Somewhere down the street, the co-op perhaps? sounding close than distant. Louder, softer, excited. Voices joining. Laughter. "We should go over there," Vivian says. "I was just going to say that," I smile. We enjoy listening. 

about a honey bee

Some buzzing bug flew into my hair and I brushed it away. I thought it was just a fly. It landed on my pillow and I saw that it was a honey bee. I used a book and cup to capture bee and walked out on my balcony to release. I set book and cup on chair, lifted cup, and stepped back quickly, shutting the door between us. Watched. The bee took a long time to come out and then it didn't fly away. It just started crawling up side of cup like an ant until it clumsily fell off onto the chair. Then, the bee began walking around confusedly on the chair like a disoriented ant until it wavered on the edge and fell to the balcony floor. The bee tried to climb back up the chair legs, but the ascent was too steep. So the bee attempted to fly, but it only went a short way, like a chicken, before crashing near the balcony edge. The bee walked tentatively along the edge, until it ventured too close and disappeared over the side.

sister

My little sister arrived last night from Maine! and she'll be with me for a week. It is so fun to see Austin through someone else's eyes. She hasn't been to many cities before. On her way here, she had to take a taxi from bus station to airport and it was her first time in a taxi, which the driver found amusing and I find cute. Headed back to my house, she asked if I lived in the country. No! Right in downtown. She gets excited about all the little things, the tall buildings, riding a bike among all the students crossing, eating grapefruit from a tree down the street (which I am excited about too), going to Casa Columbia restaurant where most people were speaking Spanish, the grass blowers and lawn mowers in November. Its in the 20s at night in Maine now, 40's during the day.

Grapefruit

There is a grapefruit tree two blocks from my house. One morning this week I was walking by and I noticed these round yellow/green fruits, rather dirty from road dust and stuff. I wasn't entirely sure what they were, but I picked one and decided it could be a grapefruit. So I took one home to try. Bright pink inside and good with agave syrup.  

Afterglow

yesterday was not so much about observation as it was about experiencing! being a part! of history! Last night I updated my facebook status to: "Jeanne is so moved, grateful to be living at this moment! Shared! Beautiful!"

Now I can reflect a little. When I woke up this morning, a friend I hadn't heard from in a while had posted a comment on my status: the simple symbol of a heart. I enjoyed reading the status updates everywhere, mostly reflecting such solidarity. (not everyone of course). 

Facebook turned out to be an exciting place to look. They had a poll at the page top keeping constant track of those on facebook who voted. Last I looked, the count was up to 5,447,875. Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, and Ben & Jerry's all advertized on facebook free products for those who came in and said they voted. After my Spanish class (in which no one could concentrate and my teacher kept jumping up to check her computer) my fellow classmate and I stopped by Ben & Jerry's for the aforementioned free ice cream. 10 minutes to 8pm (when the freebies stopped) and the line was out the door and around the building! The owner came out to assure everyone "We have plenty, don't worry" It was such a festive atmosphere already. We sat by the fountain with some kind and familiar strangers in their obama t's and buttons.  They told me they were headed to the Driskill hotel, I should go. 

I went home first, but then I did go to the hotel and was there at 10 when CNN announced the election projection. Amazing! Still can't believe we found out so early. Had an exciting walk home. Waiting at every cross walk with others downtown, cars honking, capitol metro buses honking, people waving and sticking signs out the window. As I moved away from downtown, walking alone now, an african american woman cheered out her car window at me, to make sure I knew, "Hey! Obama won!" Watched the acceptance speech and aftermath online live streaming from CNN with my housemate. Caught up with my family a few hours ago on their experience watching at home in Maine and our experiences seeing so many happy people today. 

like earth and water

Museum exhibits and books do share John Begg's definition of the book as "a three dimensional container of ideas." Museum exhibits, books, the internet, and many other forms of expression can share the definition "container of ideas."

I am fascinated by the relationship between container and ideas - particularly the substance of both. The substance of the message, material, and means. Is the message meaningful? From where is the message, the idea coming? From joy? From questions and curiosity? From answers and rules and conventions? Out of respect for that which it impacts? Do the materials enhance and reflect the message? Sustainable? In a manner that gives more than takes?

Why am I suddenly interested in the book as the container to express my ideas as opposed to museum exhibits or the internet?

I don't know the answer. Probably it is not about choosing one form over the other. More about finding a container that suits the message and is within my means at the moment? About the expression of ideas. Container and idea aren't fixed anyway. I should look at them as earth and water. Earth as container; water as idea. One always informing and altering the other. Imperceptibly and perceptibly mixing along the way. Running inside and throughout. Dialogue and communication. Conversation.

Books For Our Time

I am reading Books For Our Time. This collection, published in 1951, presents essays from well- known book designers (from the first half of the 20th century) on what a book is and can be. Book design examples follow the essays. The examples still look relatively traditional compared to today, but they show glimmers of page expiramentation to come.

Book designer John Begg, defines a book as "a three dimensional container for ideas." He goes on to say, "It was devised as one of the prime means of conveying ideas and images to others in another time or place. In it the desire to communicate has been given enduring form."

Book designer, Ernst Reichl writes similarly, "Not type and paper, but words and pictures and ideas are his [or her] materials, and the space in which to coordinate them. The purpose of a book is not to be well printed, but to be well comprehended. Le Corbusier calls the house a machine for living. Let me call the book a machine for the preservation of ideas." Afterwards he amends the term "machine for the preservation of ideas," by calling books instead, "the memory of [hu]mankind"

Architect, George Nelson, contributed the outsider perspective in his essay. He sums up the evolving definition of the book by saying, "what has changed is the feeling about what one should do to a page, a spread, a binding."