trashy

I hope every Tuesday isn't a, "I'm so tired from Monday I must sleep in past noon" day. It is nice but it doesn't do me very well for the next two 8am days.

I went to the Multnomah County Library and got a library card. I was serviced by a trainee. A little girl was crying when her mother took her to check out books. Guess she wanted more books? I was there to get puppet making books for my figure drawing final. Yes it is a bit early to do finals work but I want to get a handle on what the options are early on. Maybe make more than one if I have the time. Plus I've always had an interest in puppet making so this is my chance to do it. Puppets rock. I already have eight things checked out from the PNCA library, I don't know how their puppet section is but I wanted to get a stack of books so I figured it was time to get a library card. The stacks proved most helpful. I ended up with Anatomy of a Doll, A World of Dolls That You Can Make, Doll's, Puppedolls, and Teddy Bears, Making Original Dolls of Composition, Bisque, and Porcelain, Puppets and Puppet Theatre, and And Introduction to Puppets and Puppet-Making. I am so set. To check out you set your card down and enter your pin number and the slowest scanner reads your bar code. Then you set the books down one by one and it slooooooooooowly charges them to your account. Having a person do it would take less time than the machine. Diana was coming in as I was leaving and I showed off my books to her.

Karen stopped by for half and hour and browsed the books. I want to do one of those large puppets that is connected to a back pack and you move the hands with large poles. I can't find the name for them, anybody know it? Something large with a simple draping fabric and I'd be wearing a cool outfit to go with it. And some smaller marionettes. Have to start planning!!

Another part of the homework for the year is to watch Bad Santa. I'm about halfway through it now.

Some people just knocked on my door selling DVD's for $3 a pop for 5 for $10. I wish I had some cash. They said they needed rent money but I highly doubt that is what it was for.

Tonight's TBA was Tiago Guedes. I sat next to Carlos and Colleen. Carlos and I chatted about that-show-which-I-shall-not-name.

Guedes' show started by him moving around the stage enacting very specific but general movements. He did a little twirl. He blew on his thumb. He took off his shirt. He put his shirt back on. He trod in tiny little steps. It was for a purpose I knew, but watching it wasn't very exciting. Some music came on and he left the stage. Then he came back and did all the motions again, this time with the props. He started by picking at the floor and pulled up five strands of tape creating a pyramid. He tugged on these chairs attached to fishing line and pulled the props off the chair. The motions with the props led to a spectacular set up. First he strung a line of tape between two poles. Then he laid out some newspapers and taped them together. He cut them free from the floor and put the huge taped together sheet of paper on the line of tape. Then the lights when dim and he lit small sections of the paper on fire and blew them out. He spritzed the sheet with water in two placed and cut a whole in another spot and stuck a roll of blue trash bags through it. He came around to the front with a can of green spray paint and drew two clouds over the water spritzed areas and a mountain below them. The burn marks became tree trunks. The trash bag bundle that was coming down from the mountain was rolled across the stage to form an expansive river. In the front of the stage were more trash bags taped together which he pulled out and created a lake. In the first half he did the bridge pose where you bend your stomach upwards and you are arched on your feet and hands. He did it again creating a bridge over the river. He lay down like he did in the first part and took a little, probably much deserved rest while we admired his handiwork.

Guedes tore down his work too soon and crumpled it and put it in the corner. The trash bag strand he wrapped around his waist and stuffed the loose ones under his shirt making him look like a muscle man. He pulled out the taped together bags fully and ruffled them, filling the stage with blue plastic ripples. He clambered under the waves and wrapped himself into a thick, trash cocoon. He stumbled into one of the chairs and scootched over to the other one and and got into that one and pulled the other chair into his lap. He fell over and ripped free from the cocoon as the music started to play again. He ripped up the left over pieces of tape off the floor and put them on the wall behind him, slowly spelling out "TIAGO". He left and we applauded. He came back twice to revel in the applause. I really enjoyed the performance. It was delightful. I probably destroyed the fun of it with my description though...

Now to look at puppets and pictures of suits.