tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70491057131939563692024-03-05T20:13:21.849-05:00On SummitOn Summit provides occasional updates and content from Jeff Regensburger. Mostly it's about art, but there might be stuff about friends, music, museums and libraries too.Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-76913341875898841902021-03-28T09:12:00.000-04:002021-03-28T17:01:08.797-04:00#library30 Photo Challenge: 2021 Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGeaq2DM4FvUrfhm1vNGyNtbulg3zaktQyFSI7gV9x6WBbug0x9bJvOywpSO11AiBxYFjenZLmROurMrjG4eISCqRRCwHsD9wNijfGGWE4VyertElnc0mtsND2hfrKM-493Nr6BBDMdfm/s1600/l30logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGeaq2DM4FvUrfhm1vNGyNtbulg3zaktQyFSI7gV9x6WBbug0x9bJvOywpSO11AiBxYFjenZLmROurMrjG4eISCqRRCwHsD9wNijfGGWE4VyertElnc0mtsND2hfrKM-493Nr6BBDMdfm/s400/l30logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">On Thursday April 1, 2021 I'll be inviting people to participate in this year's #library30 photo challenge</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span face=""karla" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">What is it?</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Even though I work in a library, it's not uncommon for me (and others in the field) to look to related cultural institutions for new ideas and new perspectives. That's how #library30 happened. My wife (who works directly with museum professionals), alerted me to the #museum30 initiative that had been launched by <a href="https://magnifyingzoology.wordpress.com/2017/11/21/museum30-a-30-day-photo-challenge/" target="_blank">Magnifying Zoology</a> in 2017.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The premise was pretty simple. Participants worked from a set of daily prompts and posted pictures on social media related to the prompt along with the #museum30 hashtag. As I followed that hashtag and saw the amazing stories that were being shared, I thought, "Libraries should do that...".</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vgHZ62H8Iyauz-Cn26Qhd35wd4d-0C02MCcnBSHyAOqkvvvG7Ea2y5aoXz86ysH-plF3VF6PyWLOWfPJPlvfMiidBj_OzSRUdbdykvaQl-u2tdZwhnfspyDKQskUPN5GwZWnaFz6mzN7/s1600/library30.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vgHZ62H8Iyauz-Cn26Qhd35wd4d-0C02MCcnBSHyAOqkvvvG7Ea2y5aoXz86ysH-plF3VF6PyWLOWfPJPlvfMiidBj_OzSRUdbdykvaQl-u2tdZwhnfspyDKQskUPN5GwZWnaFz6mzN7/s400/library30.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>How does it work?</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">All you have to do is upload a photo related to the daily prompt on Twitter or Instagram and include the hashtag #library30. This will allow others to easily find your post as well as those of other participants. It helps too if you also include the day of the challenge, the prompt, and even short description of why you chose that photo. A typical post might look like this:</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLmjkUG53HUrZmp_4_U3KDnbFL2b7rdCAoQXPDX-7M43NWF9axVdf_rxr2QR5HP5LPywVGrSajmqwlWZJ3YPm0NlQWdhF3ZhpPFCn3yiQeaMwgij6TlVY29TEwZD25xTZWbwDpKnvGgRT/s1600/mere+lib+30.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="592" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLmjkUG53HUrZmp_4_U3KDnbFL2b7rdCAoQXPDX-7M43NWF9axVdf_rxr2QR5HP5LPywVGrSajmqwlWZJ3YPm0NlQWdhF3ZhpPFCn3yiQeaMwgij6TlVY29TEwZD25xTZWbwDpKnvGgRT/s400/mere+lib+30.JPG" width="381" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">As for the content, you're free (and encouraged) to interpret the prompts any way you like. Think of this as a chance for you to show your creativity and explore how the prompts relate to you, the community you serve and the library you love! </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[Please note: I did consider altering this year's prompts to more specifically acknowledge the unique challenges created COVID-19. In the end decided to leave them as is. My reasoning being that this year's circumstances will doubtless come through loud and clear as people begin posting. Plus, I like the idea of consistent prompts being in place year after year in the event any future researchers want to do a longitudinal study of the #library30 hashtag :) Either way, I expect that this year's #library30 photo challenge will offer a snapshot of a very unique time for libraries and the people whose lives they touch].</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>When is it?</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">April is a special month for libraries. We celebrate National Library Week in April. We honor school libraries and librarians in April. April is National Poetry month. It also helps that there are 30 days in April! So, you guessed it, this year's #library30 photo challenge will run April 1 through April 30.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Who can participate?</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Anyone who works in, volunteers for, uses, loves, supports, or otherwise finds a connection with libraries! Pretty much all of us.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Why do this?</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My hope is that by participating in #library30 we'll be able to share our stories and the stories of those libraries that mean so much to us. Similarly, I believe that #library30 will offer many opportunities to connect with one another, learn from one another and inspire one another. That can only serve to make libraries even better.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">To keep up with my progress on the #library30 challenge, you can follow me Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffrey_r" target="_blank">@jeffrey_r </a>and on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jregensb/?hl=en" target="_blank">@jregensb</a></span>Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-69970702181951246542019-03-30T08:51:00.001-04:002019-03-30T08:51:54.251-04:00#library30 - A 30 Day Photo Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGeaq2DM4FvUrfhm1vNGyNtbulg3zaktQyFSI7gV9x6WBbug0x9bJvOywpSO11AiBxYFjenZLmROurMrjG4eISCqRRCwHsD9wNijfGGWE4VyertElnc0mtsND2hfrKM-493Nr6BBDMdfm/s1600/l30logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGeaq2DM4FvUrfhm1vNGyNtbulg3zaktQyFSI7gV9x6WBbug0x9bJvOywpSO11AiBxYFjenZLmROurMrjG4eISCqRRCwHsD9wNijfGGWE4VyertElnc0mtsND2hfrKM-493Nr6BBDMdfm/s400/l30logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Monday Apri1, 2019 I'll be in inviting people to participate in the #library30 photo challenge</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Karla, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is it?</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though I work in a library, it's not uncommon for me (and other in the field) to look to other cultural institutions for new ideas and new perspectives. That's how #library30 happened. My wife (who works directly with museum professionals), alerted me to the #museum30 initiative that had been launched by <a href="https://magnifyingzoology.wordpress.com/2017/11/21/museum30-a-30-day-photo-challenge/" target="_blank">Magnifying Zoology</a> in 2017.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The premise was pretty simple. Participants worked from a set of daily prompts and posted pictures that related to the prompt along with the #museum30 hashtag. As I followed that hashtag and saw the amazing stories that were being shared, I thought, "Libraries should do that...".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vgHZ62H8Iyauz-Cn26Qhd35wd4d-0C02MCcnBSHyAOqkvvvG7Ea2y5aoXz86ysH-plF3VF6PyWLOWfPJPlvfMiidBj_OzSRUdbdykvaQl-u2tdZwhnfspyDKQskUPN5GwZWnaFz6mzN7/s1600/library30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vgHZ62H8Iyauz-Cn26Qhd35wd4d-0C02MCcnBSHyAOqkvvvG7Ea2y5aoXz86ysH-plF3VF6PyWLOWfPJPlvfMiidBj_OzSRUdbdykvaQl-u2tdZwhnfspyDKQskUPN5GwZWnaFz6mzN7/s400/library30.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How does it work?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All you have to do is upload a photo related to the daily prompt on Twitter or Instagram and include the hashtag #library30. This will allow others to easily find your post as well as those of other participants. It helps too if you also include the day of the challenge, the prompt, and even short description of why you chose that photo. A typical post might look like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYD_ZA31PvEJEFduzA1q66dLXasyoD1mVrmXOBHtFC_LEMNvWtObeBtANji8uTfC5HOT1rbkZ4tVmaPRdcs2k9Ke1kVU-S9zIXYQBNJnu1KvItn0oqQdHxBrgLvJ8AItd0idTI8wK5FJif/s1600/brit+museum.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="873" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYD_ZA31PvEJEFduzA1q66dLXasyoD1mVrmXOBHtFC_LEMNvWtObeBtANji8uTfC5HOT1rbkZ4tVmaPRdcs2k9Ke1kVU-S9zIXYQBNJnu1KvItn0oqQdHxBrgLvJ8AItd0idTI8wK5FJif/s400/brit+museum.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for the content, you're free (and encouraged) to interpret the prompts any way you like. Think of this as a chance for you to show your creativity and explore how the prompts relate to you and the library you love!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>When is it?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">April is a special month for libraries. We celebrate National Library Week in April. We honor school libraries and librarians in April. April is National Poetry month. It also helps that there are 30 days in April! So, you guessed it, this year's #library30 photo challenge will run April 1 through April 30.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Who can participate?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyone who works in, volunteers for, uses, loves, supports, or otherwise finds a connection with libraries! Pretty much all of us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Why do this?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My hope is that by participating in #library30 we'll be able to share our stories and the stories of those libraries that mean so much to us. Similarly, I believe that #library30 will offer many opportunities to connect with one another, learn from one another and inspire one another. That can only serve to make libraries even better.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To keep up with my progress on the #library30 challenge, you can follow me Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffrey_r" target="_blank">@jeffrey_r </a>and on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jregensb/?hl=en" target="_blank">@jregensb</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-49267668839151016292017-01-08T21:24:00.002-05:002017-01-15T09:46:02.420-05:00Small Losses, Likely Unnoticed (or, Bauhaus Bon Voyage)My regular commute involves time on the mostly unremarkable stretch of Olentangy River Road between Dodridge and North Broadway. I say<i> mostly</i> unremarkable because there are but three features that distinguish it from any of the other four lane roads in Columbus dotted with hotels, chain restaurants, and car friendly retail. They are the Clinton Predestinarian Baptist Church at Dodridge and Olentangy, Union Cemetery, and a modest Bauhaus-by-way-of Richard Neutra inspired office building that's stood its ground since, oh, I don't know, 1965 or so.<br />
<br />
Wait...a what? Where?<br />
<br />
Yeah, the building at the entrance to Kohl's, the one that looks like a rectangular box with another rectangular box stacked sideways on top of it, the building with the crazy carport, the building you probably never looked twice at. That building, in its low-slung and unobtrusive way, was actually a pretty dramatic bit of period architecture. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4nwHguaShzrK6McBh4DH81noz-5gGknLaafSPk_iIIEjMpi5VM9rejqeGjDklmbbN8cFmt4HlS087N2QDHVyrZtTo85GR-NdjiQKHlNdMDv4LuET9Ax954kJma47uN3o6vj1__quaDMk/s1600/bauhaus+bon+voyage2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4nwHguaShzrK6McBh4DH81noz-5gGknLaafSPk_iIIEjMpi5VM9rejqeGjDklmbbN8cFmt4HlS087N2QDHVyrZtTo85GR-NdjiQKHlNdMDv4LuET9Ax954kJma47uN3o6vj1__quaDMk/s320/bauhaus+bon+voyage2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Oh, don't get me wrong, it's not like Architectural Digest was going to do a spread on this place. It's not a World Heritage site. It's not even a Lustron home. There's probably no architect of record either. Still, this is Bauhaus design at its purest, holding forth on half an acre of commercially-zoned Ohio real estate. Form follows function. The construction is honest; it looks like what it's made of. There is a decided lack of ornamentation. It's nothing fancy to be sure, but if you were ever curious to know what it looked like when high modernism trickled down to the retail parcels of middle America, this was it. I mean look at that cantilevering! It's over the top! (pun intended). There's a cantilever, and then, "Oh go ahead and stick another on too".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48147531/M--4_11.0.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48147531/M--4_11.0.0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Richard Neutra's Linn House</span></i></div>
<br />
Anyone familiar with this area knows that over the last few years this stretch of road has seen something of a building boom. Mostly it's been in the form of cookie-cutter hotels to service THE Ohio State University, but there have been some retail additions too. Through it all, this boxy mid-century gem held fast. A couple years ago a "For Sale" sign materialized in front of it. Even then, no one seemed in any particular hurry to buy. Heck, I was tempted to make an offer.<br />
<br />
Well, it apparently sold. I drove by a couple weeks ago and our humble Bauhaus wannabe had been transformed into an empty lot. I suspect some manner of development that doesn't pay homage to spare modernist design principles will likely take its place. We'll see.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7vWWk2m0UmhQCEW14Lr6vytk5TVrHRmWJ5xa4fF_sr26W5vnokWqqYywcPSurV-eRBw2WDrESDVM2BPeOn8ElumUPEc1OJ8BNtAZMPT4q0Go9LHRpumT0bqWwDytiB947yzIOpEmC7kp/s1600/Bauhaus+Bon+Voyage+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7vWWk2m0UmhQCEW14Lr6vytk5TVrHRmWJ5xa4fF_sr26W5vnokWqqYywcPSurV-eRBw2WDrESDVM2BPeOn8ElumUPEc1OJ8BNtAZMPT4q0Go9LHRpumT0bqWwDytiB947yzIOpEmC7kp/s320/Bauhaus+Bon+Voyage+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I don't usually get sentimental about buildings and I know there's not really a compelling case for saving ones like this. Still, it doesn't seem right. It's a small loss, but given the fact no one will build anything like that again, it's permanent. I'm sure I'll feel differently though when I can swing in there for a Latte Macchiato on my way to work or a Diavolo Piada on my way home. <br />
<br />
Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-43740720830026150372017-01-01T09:37:00.003-05:002017-01-14T10:00:13.455-05:00Publishing Trends: Top Non Fiction Titles for 2017Publishing houses are already exploring the impact of November's election on our national conversation.<br />
<br />
To that end, here's just a sampling of the non-fiction titles we can expect in the new year:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>What to Set on Fire: Essays and Actions for a New America</i></b></li>
</ul>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>Punching Down, Moving Up: Harness the Power of Racism and Misogyny to Achieve Career Success </i></b></li>
</ul>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>At Least I Didn't Live to See the Day: Phil Ochs in the 21st Century</i></b></li>
</ul>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>"It Weren't Raycess": Explaining Your Trump Vote to People of Color</i></b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>The Only Green that Matters: Megaprofits in an Age of Environmental Collapse</i></b></li>
</ul>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>Flying High: Drones, Firearms and the Inviolability of the Second Amendment</i></b></li>
</ul>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>Fake News is Good News</i></b></li>
</ul>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>Plundering Toward Armageddon: a Guide to Graft in the Age of Trump</i></b></li>
</ul>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>Power Words: 1001 Slurs, Slights and Epithets You Can Start Using Today!</i></b></li>
</ul>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>Forms of Address: Revised and Updated</i></b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-20281058439204683892016-07-23T10:16:00.002-04:002017-01-14T10:02:19.990-05:00The Clothes Make the Man ChildWhen people talk about men's ties, you can expect to hear opinions about width, pattern, and color. At a higher level (and usually among tie aficionados and devotees), the conversation inevitably drifts to the knot; the shape of the knot, the size in relation to the collar, and the number of moves it takes to execute a particular knot.<br />
<br />
What's rarely brought up in these conversations is proper tie length. Maybe people don't notice. Maybe they think it doesn't matter. Maybe they assume that length is simply a function of the cut and shape of the tie (and therefore beyond the wearer's control).<br />
<br />
To these points, I offer the following: there<i><b> is</b></i> a proper length, you <i><b>should</b></i> notice, it <i><b>does</b></i> matter, and it <i><b>can be</b></i> controlled.<br />
<br />
<b>To be clear, the tip of your tie should land at the middle of the waistband/belt buckle. </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHrop_MCSdOZFcE4YzrmJ_vdGIZK4TujZuZPjbxfAfoD4OGvNVb5IRzSYcBROpuWbOXCk0x2ff0yW16lzVCjH52LD_ExWZBnq-NgnoMLYBbo6XSiYgNRR3p2eM8A1IQ71B9Rv3H2CHFQ6/s1600/Tie+Trump.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHrop_MCSdOZFcE4YzrmJ_vdGIZK4TujZuZPjbxfAfoD4OGvNVb5IRzSYcBROpuWbOXCk0x2ff0yW16lzVCjH52LD_ExWZBnq-NgnoMLYBbo6XSiYgNRR3p2eM8A1IQ71B9Rv3H2CHFQ6/s320/Tie+Trump.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Tie length? Yuuuge, right?"</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Donald Trump consistently wears his ties at cartoonish lengths. Maybe it's part of the Republican platform.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo copyright (c) Getty Images </span></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
As our friends at <a href="http://www.thefineyounggentleman.com/style-advice/correct-tie-length/" target="_blank">Fine Young Gentleman</a> point out, "When a tie is worn at the proper length it helps balance out your legs
and torso, wearing a tie at an incorrect length can throw the balance of
the ensemble off. When worn too long it can make the whole look look
frumpy and sloppy. When worn too short the look can look clownish." </div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGb-_wjU_ND2KSj4wCtDThpZLnKgzlYNY8MoTCnykuk3vm94DBQq24FgzhVTS1nE4qOev__upwrkccoKX0jYQcHDil8qRGfKNTs4xdzCDl-j03evmRJrDl5-goqcaSdOnDuE_ASd6C1qeq/s1600/Tie+Christie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGb-_wjU_ND2KSj4wCtDThpZLnKgzlYNY8MoTCnykuk3vm94DBQq24FgzhVTS1nE4qOev__upwrkccoKX0jYQcHDil8qRGfKNTs4xdzCDl-j03evmRJrDl5-goqcaSdOnDuE_ASd6C1qeq/s320/Tie+Christie.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Mixed messages: My French cuffs say "sophistication". My tie length says "drunk uncle at your wedding".</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo copyright (c) Getty Images</span></i> </i></span></div>
<br />
Since I've had at least an inkling of this guideline for most of my
tie-wearing life, I assumed it was common knowledge (or at least common
knowledge among those whose occupations might require them to wear a tie
on a regular basis). Clearly it's not. This week's RNC Convention in
Cleveland highlighted the Right's apparent predilection for long, sloppy
ties. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECJ5cmmZUO1hS4WxGzTzRsaZL97AiqEhsjtACTBM34e7uy6OBfqppeE2aEVNsTY0bdjkEWnCrE5a_GFSMGX8Xb_dYcDf55MmOaYYbG77Sc-4zAlu_TwrnAlnAlUJDb3FEoWsX5DkZplr6/s1600/Tie+Pence.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECJ5cmmZUO1hS4WxGzTzRsaZL97AiqEhsjtACTBM34e7uy6OBfqppeE2aEVNsTY0bdjkEWnCrE5a_GFSMGX8Xb_dYcDf55MmOaYYbG77Sc-4zAlu_TwrnAlnAlUJDb3FEoWsX5DkZplr6/s320/Tie+Pence.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A white tie over dark slacks highlights both Mike Pence and his tie missing the mark.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo: Carrie Devorah / WENN.com </i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JjjSEJmMQQEcp1HfKpGPdYmyPOPC4aWVMvyyst2MvjVamCKgoLyYmXmM7KnTmvXqcLRC-JcoK6Hngm5FB4IYlySTtDE_vV73_PNEZiuFLEvahpNJIQQoJLob44fe_iPHDmmVfrl7ftre/s1600/Tie+Thiel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JjjSEJmMQQEcp1HfKpGPdYmyPOPC4aWVMvyyst2MvjVamCKgoLyYmXmM7KnTmvXqcLRC-JcoK6Hngm5FB4IYlySTtDE_vV73_PNEZiuFLEvahpNJIQQoJLob44fe_iPHDmmVfrl7ftre/s320/Tie+Thiel.JPG" width="254" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Props to Peter Thiel. He probably wears a tie less than any of the Republican power brokers, and still managed to get closest to the correct length (Also, please don't sue me.).</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo: Copyright (c) Just Jared </i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo #: 3713426 </i></span></div>
<br />
Obviously set against the backdrop of xenophopic fear-mongering, racism
(both implicit and explicit), divisive and dangerous rhetoric, and
hypocritical opportunism, the length of a tie isn't a particularly
egregious sin. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iBN7vGs3cxcCzhLPjJOx7zAAXbmzA2k9JwLxar5Fj9XtVTR_WGvJvOxPKcIC9xguZdFCGMZi6Dyj0C7ZhfboxXccJVEoVqGJarPhCoAVcCrcZzCJ0vJREKwVmHrHApCSeDBEQVD7MJ0r/s1600/Tie+Rove.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iBN7vGs3cxcCzhLPjJOx7zAAXbmzA2k9JwLxar5Fj9XtVTR_WGvJvOxPKcIC9xguZdFCGMZi6Dyj0C7ZhfboxXccJVEoVqGJarPhCoAVcCrcZzCJ0vJREKwVmHrHApCSeDBEQVD7MJ0r/s320/Tie+Rove.JPG" width="272" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Karl Rove and his water boy sporting laughably long ties. Apparently Karl's influence in the Party remains strong.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo: Copyright (c) Mark Wilson/Getty Images </i></span></div>
<br />
Still, these are grown-ass men, powerful men, men who would presumably
either know how to dress themselves or at least have people around them
smart enough to help them out. If you've recently blanched at the idea
of giving the nuclear codes to a thin-skinned narcissist, think about
giving them to a thin-skinned narcissist who CAN'T EVEN TIE A
TIE PROPERLY!.<br />
<br />
<br />Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-17691214332936035812016-02-14T14:03:00.000-05:002016-02-14T18:25:04.876-05:00Like Waving a Red Cape in Front of A Bull(y) I recently <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/sold-out-tim-rietenbach-at-angela-meleca-gallery-jr1" target="_blank">reviewed <i>Sold Out</i></a>, the Tim Rietenbach exhibition at <a href="http://www.angelamelecagallery.com/#!tim-rietenbach/c92h" target="_blank">Angela Meleca Gallery</a> for Columbus Underground. If you haven't had the chance to see it, go now. It's a terrific show that plants its flag in that aesthetic sweet spot just between incisive and cynical. It's an exhibition that's piercing in its cultural observations, but somehow generous as well. Rietenbach has an approach to art making that acknowledges the conceptual elements of art in the 21st century while managing to hold a high degree of visual interest. And while I discussed a number of the pieces in the show in some detail, I made absolutely no mention (save an illustration) of what was undoubtedly my favorite piece.<br />
<br />
For all it's apparent simplicity, Rietenbcach's <i>Brutus</i> serves as ground zero for so many potential discussions it's hard to know where to begin.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ0XnjP1XfC_bZ7c9QyKofwc2pBG22JprMpIKZLrSKVbC0dXvkISR8hl_WRGD7Fll-XP7YPEPuuFjarCkAKlxV8UQ7Yqxq3mt3FfdVvE0mbCs7qNnF2L7LsHtaGMvZXoVoeolgmyE2DiY/s1600/brutus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ0XnjP1XfC_bZ7c9QyKofwc2pBG22JprMpIKZLrSKVbC0dXvkISR8hl_WRGD7Fll-XP7YPEPuuFjarCkAKlxV8UQ7Yqxq3mt3FfdVvE0mbCs7qNnF2L7LsHtaGMvZXoVoeolgmyE2DiY/s320/brutus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Tim Rietenbach, <i>Brutus</i>, 2015 33 1/2" x 31 1/4"</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Let's start with the formal elements. <i>Brutus</i> clearly pays homage to the grid and color abstractions of Paul Klee. But while Klee worked these compositions out with paint, palette knife, and his own sense of color theory, Rietenbach uses commercially available paint samples from retail home centers. This material choice calls into question both the role of the artist and the traditional hierarchy of mediums (a hierarchy that places oil painting above all else). Further, Rietenbach's <i>Brutus</i> playfully flirts with the dichotomy between analog and digital. The image offers the <i>appearance</i> of extreme "pixelation" while remaining resolutely analog. In this regard it offers a subtle hat tip to Gerhard Richter's famously "out of focus" paintings. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://thegrammarofmatter.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/ancient-sound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://thegrammarofmatter.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/ancient-sound.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Paul Klee, <i>Alter Klang</i>, 1925 30cm x 30cm</span></div>
<br />
<i>Brutus</i> also blurs our spatial sense. While Rietenbach's work certainly reads as a two-dimensional construct, it's actually fabricated in three. These retail paint chips are affixed to a wire lattice support and hover above the ground. It's balancing act that presents viewers with a (mostly) flat image while reminding us that these chips are in fact actual, physical objects.<br />
<br />
Oh, and about that image; anyone from central Ohio will llikely recognize it as the head of Brutus Buckeye, the mascot of The Ohio State University's athletic teams (Don't see it? Try squinting).<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://athlonsports.com/sites/athlonsports.com/files/styles/article_top_img/public/homepage-featured-images/Brutus702_3.jpg?itok=Wq7d5Z0n" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://athlonsports.com/sites/athlonsports.com/files/styles/article_top_img/public/homepage-featured-images/Brutus702_3.jpg?itok=Wq7d5Z0n" height="178" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Brutus Buckeye TM (a registered trademark of The Ohio State University)</span></div>
<br />
This provides a whole new frame of reference by which we can view <i>Brutus</i>. Pop-culture aesthetics are in play now, as is the tacit acknowledgment that even the most comically mundane elements of our visual landscape can serve as inspiration for contemporary artists. Rietenbach's <i>Brutus</i> goes further than that though, punching up in a way that has me cheering for the underdog as enthusiastically as I might the Buckeyes themselves (full disclosure, I'm a graduate of Ohio State and count myself as at least a casual fan).<br />
<br />
But wait, punching up? Underdogs? What's that about?<br />
<br />
Well, it's about what might be the most interesting element of Rietenbach's humble piece. This business of appropriation in art, of taking that which already exists and using it to create something new, often finds itself at odds with intellectual property concerns. It turns out the world of contemporary creativity is rife with disputes between artists and the holders of various trademarks, copyrights and patents. Sherrie Levine, Richard Prince, Alice Randall, and Andy Baio are just a few examples of creatives who've faced legal action in their efforts to appropriate and transform. Baio's story in particular resonates in this instance. The pixelation process he employed in his ill-fated <i>Kind of Bloop</i> project is one that's visually similar to Rietenbach's approach. (For a full accounting of how wrong the legal workings of intellectual property law can go, check out Baio's blog post, <a href="http://waxy.org/2011/06/kind_of_screwed/" target="_blank">Kind of Screwed</a>).<br />
<br />
Which is to say it's at least <i>conceivable</i> that The Ohio State University would have a look at <i>Brutus</i> to determine if their trademark rights have been compromised.<br />
<br />
If that sounds far-fetched, it's not. The Ohio State University has a whole department charged with the task of overseeing all aspects OSU's trademark business. Make no mistake either, it is a business. Per the <a href="http://trademarklicensing.osu.edu/page/home" target="_blank">Trademark and Licensing Services</a> web site, "the Licensing Program has generated over $130 million in royalty revenue
from approximately $1.3 billion in licensed retail sales". And if you think that OSU is too big to go after the little guy, think again. As this <a href="http://nbc4i.com/investigative-story/tackling-the-trademark-osu-logos-bring-revenue-legal-threats/" target="_blank">report from NBCi shows</a>, enterprises large and small can fall under the watchful eye of the Trademark and Licensing Services.<br />
<br />
Of course creative endeavors are quite different than selling mugs, t-shirts, or cookies, and the law makes allowances for this. The legal doctrine of fair use can provide some cover for artists, especially in those instances where a significant <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformation_%28law%29" target="_blank">transformation</a> of the original can be established. Still, the cost of arguing your case before the court (along with the possibility of losing) is often enough to lead many artists to either give up the fight, or worse, not even consider the possibility of appropriation to begin with. <br />
<br />
Knowing how aggressive OSU is about trademark protection, it will be interesting to see if they respond to Rietenbach's work. From the perspective of one who values art's ability to comment on (and borrow from) our existing culture, I hope they'd let Rietenbach and <i>Brutus</i> be.<br />
<br />
If, as Ohio State Assistant Vice President Rick VanBrimmer asserts, the school doesn't want to be "the bully on High Street" this would be a good chance to prove it. <br />
<br />
Tim Rietenbach's <i>Sold Out</i> will be on view at the Angela Meleca Gallery until March 12, 2016.<br />
<br />
<i>For more information visit <a href="http://www.angelamelecagallery.com/">www.angelamelecagallery.com</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-1154703630847409132015-09-05T10:11:00.001-04:002015-09-05T13:10:37.206-04:00Tilting at Windmills: The Traffic Engineering EditionTraffic can get weird on Summit and 4th streets, scary even. This is particularly true of those stretches between Hudson Avenue and the OSU campus. That's not entirely surprising given the easy access to OSU, the Fairgrounds/Expo Center, Mapfre Stadium, the Short North, and downtown. This geography ensures these corridors present a dangerous mix of young, aggressive drivers ("Check out my Challenger!"), impatient commuters ("I'll take Summit! It's quicker!), bewildered tourists ("Are the fairgrounds around here? Oh! Is this street one way?") and impaired drivers ("Dude, I said I was cool. Give me the keys!").
<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
It should go without saying that any changes to these roads and the traffic they carry should be done carefully and thoughtfully. Unfortunately that has not been the case. As part of a project that involves adding bike lanes to Summit and 4th, the City of Columbus also plans to remove the traffic lights at the following intersections:<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
Summit and Maynard</div>
<div>
4th and Wyandaotte</div>
<div>
4th and 19th<br />
<br />
Not surprisingly, the people who actually live in this neighborhood have pushed back, citing both the residential nature of the neighborhood and the need for <i>more</i> traffic calming, not less.<br />
<br />
The City's not budging. Sure, the signs say the lights are "under study", but make no mistake, they're going away. Still, as a resident of the area myself, I felt it was important that my voice be heard. In that spirit, I wrote a letter to all of our City Council representatives and the lead traffic studies engineer. I knew nothing would come of it, but I'm getting to that age where I'm expected to start shaking my fist at things, and this seemed like as good a place as any to start:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>July 22, 2015 </i><br />
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<i>Columbus City Council Members,</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<i>As
an area resident and long-time homeowner near the intersection of
Maynard and Summit I am writing to voice my concerns over the
removal of the traffic signals at Summit & Maynard and Wyndotte
& 4th.</i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<i>When I moved here in 2000 Summit still had a
traffic signal at Tompkins. That was removed when Medary School closed.
With it went the traffic calming effect that it had on drivers entering
Summit at Hudson.<br /><br />Now the City proposes removing the only other
calming influence on this stretch of road between Hudson and Lane. Maybe
that's good traffic planning, and maybe that's good car planning, but
it's absolutely awful neighborhood planning. While I understand the
importance of traffic flow in the context of a car-centric city like
Columbus, I also know that this area is, and remains, a largely
residential neighborhood. Are the needs (and safety) of those residents
to be compromised simply to help commuters get to campus or downtown a
minute or two sooner? That seems neither reasonable nor fair.</i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<i>Also,
I'm curious to know how an intersection that was once deemed
problematic
enough that it was outfitted with the "added safety" of a red light
camera, now doesn't warrant a signal at all. Similarly, do you think
this
light would be slated for removal if it were still generating revenue
for the City? My hunch is no.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<i>I know the City's response to
all this has been to invoke federal standards and compliance and the
like. The problem with that explanation (as has been pointed out by area
residents who've done their homework) is that the City has NOT done all
the studies it could have and the City HAS NOT explored means by which the lights can stay.
From the sound of it, the City found the answer it was looking for, and
then stopped looking.</i></div>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<div>
<i>It's hard for me to imagine
Clintonville getting treated like this. I've not heard of any lights on
Summit in Italian Village going away either. But North Campus? Well it's
just a marginal neighborhood full transient students, absentee
landlords, and a handful of voiceless and disenfranchised homeowners, right?
Apparently that means drivers, developers, and commuters will get
whatever they want. </i></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<div>
<i>This whole episode is shameful. I strongly encourage City Council to re-examine this backward and regressive decision.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Sincerely,<br />Jeff Regensburger</i></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
I'll credit Council Member Shannon Hardin's office with replying. Everyone else? Crickets. And that's fine. As I mentioned, this is a done deal and the lights are going away. What surprised me though was that once I found my voice, I didn't want to stop using it.<br />
<br />
Sadly, the high number of traffic accidents in our neighborhood have provided a lot of additional opportunities to correspond with this group. "If they want to study traffic" I thought, "Maybe I can help".</div>
</div>
<br />
So, I sent them a few more letters:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<div>
<i>August 25, 2015 </i></div>
<div>
<i>Hey Everybody,</i></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<i>I wanted to share this picture
from the corner of Clinton and Summit yesterday. I'm not sure exactly
what happened, but I'm pretty sure it involved a high rate of speed.</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<i></i></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRd8BOcbnImcTdCsSof-KBeaVTqJWzKqTVsg8w8ObasoP1stp_hzvYh2Z0T_VeW3RZBOMmIhcMknr0siSZTv_6anTW3dZfF3oKxXYHReMrOjsU2djd-t5ozF8kSCXsGMFuBX1dBUhLFN2x/s1600/flipped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRd8BOcbnImcTdCsSof-KBeaVTqJWzKqTVsg8w8ObasoP1stp_hzvYh2Z0T_VeW3RZBOMmIhcMknr0siSZTv_6anTW3dZfF3oKxXYHReMrOjsU2djd-t5ozF8kSCXsGMFuBX1dBUhLFN2x/s320/flipped.jpg" width="234" /></a></i></div>
<div>
<i><br />The
fact is unreasonable speeds on Summit are the rule, not the exception.
Yet, in spite of this, you want me to believe that removing the last
traffic calming device in the <b>residential neighborhood</b> between Hudson and Lane is a safe and sane option.</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<i>But hey, I just live here. You all are the experts. Just let me know when we should expect our guardrails and noise barriers.<br /><br />Best,<br />Jeff Regensbruger</i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
This time? No response at all. Not even a thank you. I don't know about you, but if I was studying traffic, I'd want to know about this sort of thing. As it turns out the morning of August 30th provided additional material for the City's study.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>August 30, 2015 </i><br />
<i>Hey Everyone,</i><br />
<div>
<i><br />I've got a couple other things to share as you
continue to study the removal of last remaining traffic signals in
our neighborhood.</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>First, please find attached a picture from an accident that occurred on <b>Summit St, just north of Maynard at 3:00 AM Sunday August 30th 2015</b>.
While it's dark, and hard to tell at first, what you see is in fact a
car flipped on its side in the middle of Summit. There was another car
involved in the accident and a parked car was struck as well (an
occurrence that's actually pretty common along Summit. Have you studied those records?).</i></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7ZWIZudJBHXAA-Ru6eIK_aQltXco-o75TRmUxqfR38sW7LDyQZ_090nHIebmBmfQaJsTlnBSPSdXUMj6E42PtY9RQPbvxcnLyJCfQOxIvj8Ngb_e3mkI4TOsEfAQ0qSaKcnKgZaWvQeE/s1600/almost+flipped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7ZWIZudJBHXAA-Ru6eIK_aQltXco-o75TRmUxqfR38sW7LDyQZ_090nHIebmBmfQaJsTlnBSPSdXUMj6E42PtY9RQPbvxcnLyJCfQOxIvj8Ngb_e3mkI4TOsEfAQ0qSaKcnKgZaWvQeE/s320/almost+flipped.jpg" width="240" /></a></i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Secondly, I'd call your attention to this SUV/motorcycle accident a block further south that happened at the beginning of July:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/06/02/motorcycle-crash-university-district.html" target="_blank">http://www.dispatch.com/<wbr></wbr>content/stories/local/2015/06/<wbr></wbr>02/motorcycle-crash-<wbr></wbr>university-district.html</a><br /> </i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0riJ01tHiBNmz_mONuhX-a4dbxtLgtvsfcz1RFi5j3x1A-whpvnj3oCpneIA3wKVnCpmFOYDynHm6pt0Yqpc3euMVcbgy2rsMUjsylqylPunlQr-AIyIjWJV1kIW5U2ClqENqlucHi91L/s1600/0602-motorcycle-crash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0riJ01tHiBNmz_mONuhX-a4dbxtLgtvsfcz1RFi5j3x1A-whpvnj3oCpneIA3wKVnCpmFOYDynHm6pt0Yqpc3euMVcbgy2rsMUjsylqylPunlQr-AIyIjWJV1kIW5U2ClqENqlucHi91L/s320/0602-motorcycle-crash.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<i></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<i>Honestly,
I don't know how you calculate the value of unimpeded traffic, but it's
hard to believe it's worth this kind of menace.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br />I
know your collective contention is that restricting Summit to two lanes
(and narrowing those lanes) will somehow calm traffic. While you are
certainly welcome to your opinion, as a resident who's lived here and
watched traffic fly by for the last 15 years, I'd like to offer a
different perspective: it's going to take a lot more than that to calm
traffic and reduce speeds on this stretch of road. <br /><br />Removing these lights is a step backwards. You wouldn't stand for it your neighborhood. Why should we stand for it in ours?</i></div>
<div>
<i><br />Regards,</i></div>
<div>
<i>Jeff Regensburger</i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
When it rains it pours, right? On <i>the very next day</i> I drove past an accident on 4th Street just north of a signal slated for removal. The scene there offered yet another chance to contribute to City's ongoing traffic study.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<i>August 31, 2015</i> <i><br /></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<i>I hate to pester you folks, but I know you're studying
the the traffic light at 4th and 19th too, so I thought I'd pass this
along.</i></div>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<i></i></div>
<i>The attached pictures were taken around 4:30 PM on
Monday, August 31, 2015 at the intersection of Northwood and N. 4th St
(that's a few blocks north of 19th).</i></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3fixIKEvt80nigdZ2aYhLzoE5_xP_aFnxyVEayWJnkcsVaXQbGVnvgZ2UQ4D6weqLu29hJuH_-WVxEK6MYXNqc_KD1unF8HAFsRm3Rd69sEtvrHin-A20n3OdoMynEwYE7dlC4C0is46/s1600/Northwood+and+4th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3fixIKEvt80nigdZ2aYhLzoE5_xP_aFnxyVEayWJnkcsVaXQbGVnvgZ2UQ4D6weqLu29hJuH_-WVxEK6MYXNqc_KD1unF8HAFsRm3Rd69sEtvrHin-A20n3OdoMynEwYE7dlC4C0is46/s320/Northwood+and+4th.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xJKXOhCJSsZ5_UnrciIESwSWCTlx3YASDbT1u_Ne4ffedhAoYmAoiSKE0hyxrR21qrQtct9-IwEW18MODdya95Sn4jbXB42GirMY_BOeh9_LyBm1gXtwogCObtVih5W-XeYHIt5jd25_/s1600/northwood+and+fourth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xJKXOhCJSsZ5_UnrciIESwSWCTlx3YASDbT1u_Ne4ffedhAoYmAoiSKE0hyxrR21qrQtct9-IwEW18MODdya95Sn4jbXB42GirMY_BOeh9_LyBm1gXtwogCObtVih5W-XeYHIt5jd25_/s320/northwood+and+fourth.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<i>While it's impossible to know exactly what happened here, it's a safe bet that excessive speed played a role.</i></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<i>To
that point, I remain mystified as to how removing the very elements
that might help control speeds benefits anyone, save those individuals
who would prefer drive as fast as possible regardless of the risks.</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I'm
really trying hard to avoid hyperbole, but it's getting difficult at
this point. This plan is ill-conceived and unconscionable.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
<i>Jeff Regensburger</i></blockquote>
<br />
Needless to say, the City hasn't responded. And why would they? They've made up their minds, and that's that. Unless something unexpectedly miraculous or unexpectedly horrific happens, these lights are going away.<br />
<br />
Still, I want this to end on a positive note. I want to be gracious and congratulate our winners.<br />
<br />
First, a shout out to all the Clintonville residents who work downtown or in the near north. When you swing right on Summit from Hudson now, you can punch it and not have to worry about slowing down till Lane Avenue.<br />
<br />
Second, congratulations to all the commuting OSU students and faculty who live north of the University. Your trip to and from campus will now be faster and more convenient.<br />
<br />
Third, let's not forget the motorcycling friends who harbor an unquenchable thirst for speed. Open it up. Bless us all with the dulcet tones of your immaculately tuned pipes. On Summit and 4th streets, fifth gear is now yours. You just have to want it.<br />
<br />
Finally, congratulations to everyone at City Hall and the Division of Traffic Management. You withstood the backlash. You weathered the storm. The lights are bagged. You win. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-68346696528223596742015-08-15T21:34:00.000-04:002015-08-15T21:47:06.648-04:00Painting's Not DeadExhibit A: <i>Circling</i> by Nogah Engler, Oil on canvas, 59 x 79 in<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DqnLdUJItMAjCyni_C6w5hshY6KLLF8qdYPejKB0YKrUUaaPvWVA7WdRdyARjjIIoe_lpugp2REgim_pHcxDhsQUFLAqynlZ6esFq6QbIZumzSPmwV5FUtQfa-SH9u3SHl0cvQu9erse/s1600/circling+nogah+engler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DqnLdUJItMAjCyni_C6w5hshY6KLLF8qdYPejKB0YKrUUaaPvWVA7WdRdyARjjIIoe_lpugp2REgim_pHcxDhsQUFLAqynlZ6esFq6QbIZumzSPmwV5FUtQfa-SH9u3SHl0cvQu9erse/s400/circling+nogah+engler.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Go ahead. Click on the image.<br />
<br />
Spend some time with it.<br />
<br />
I'd suggest going to see it in person, but I think today was your last chance. It was on view at the <a href="http://www.pizzuticollection.org/" target="_blank">Pizzuti Collection</a> as part of their <a href="http://www.pizzuticollection.org/this-just-in-new-acquisitions/" target="_blank"><i>This Just In</i></a> exhibition (July 1-August 15).<br />
<br />
<br />Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-84793177021816871312015-07-26T09:06:00.000-04:002015-07-26T14:49:24.099-04:00Nordecke Misogynists F**k Off!You know what's worse than watching the Crew SC blow a 3-0 lead to Toronto FC in the 89th minute?<br />
<br />
Watching them blow that lead while goons in the Nordecke chant:<br />
<br />
You're all a bunch of cunts!<br />
You're all a bunch of cunts!<br />
Fuck You Toronto!<br />
You're all a bunch of cunts!<br />
<br />
Seriously. People chanted this. In public. With enthusiasm.<br />
<br />
This, right here:<br />
<br />
You're all a bunch of cunts!<br />
You're all a bunch of cunts!<br />
Fuck You Toronto!<br />
You're all a bunch of cunts!<br />
<br />
And lest you think this was just an isolated case of gender specific insults conjured up by a toxic mixture of dollar beer night and fan frustration, I can assure you it's not. Gendered insults pop up in the Nordecke in a way that's as alarming as it is regular.<br />
<br />
If an opposing player gets hurt or goes down, you can expect to hear this chanted ad nauseum:<br />
<br />
She fell over!<br />
She fell over!<br />
She fell over!<br />
She fell over!<br />
<br />
Get it? Because girls can't take it. They're weak and stuff.<br />
<br />
If that player stays down for too long, you'll be treated to this gem:<br />
<br />
You're a pussy!<br />
You're a pussy!<br />
You're a pussy!<br />
You're a pussy!<br />
<br />
Get it? Because being like a girl is like the worst thing you can say about someone, amirite?<br />
<br />
And who can forget this brilliant bit of commentary that was trotted out when Sacha Kljestan and the New York Red Bulls were in town:<br />
<br />
Sacha is a girl's name!<br />
Sacha is a girl's name!<br />
Sacha is a girl's name!<br />
Sacha is a girl's name!<br />
<br />
Ignore for a second the fact that the steakheads chanting this didn't recognize what is a fairly well known unisex name (Sacha Baron Cohen anyone?), the intent was as above: female = worthy of ridicule.<br />
<br />
What's ironic about this kind of choreographed misogyny is that at each and every match fans are treated to a highly polished video urging us <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/video/2015/04/09/dont-cross-line-2015-psa" target="_blank">"Don't Cross the Line"</a>. It's the MLS campaign designed to foster unity, inclusion, and respect. Per their site, "Major League Soccer is committed to supporting the communities where we
live and play our games, and to providing an environment in which our
staff, clubs, players, partners and supporters are treated with dignity
and respect. <i><b>We will not tolerate discrimination, bias, prejudice or
harassment of any kind.</b></i>"<br />
<br />
That's just great. Props to all of us for not busting out some snappy f**got chant when Robbie Rogers and the LA Galaxy come to town. Let's pat ourselves on the back because we don't call African players monkeys or n**gers.<br />
<br />
But BITCH? PUSSY? CUNT? "Hey, that's just good fun..."<br />
<br />
No.<br />
<br />
No, it's not.<br />
<br />
It's abusive and it's wrong. It creates an environment that's hostile and unwelcoming.<br />
<br />
It crosses the line.<br />
<br />
It needs to stop.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-59714000911692913262015-06-13T09:52:00.001-04:002015-06-13T11:37:31.167-04:00While in Zanesville...Make sure you check out the <a href="http://www.zanesvilleart.org/" target="_blank">Zanesville Museum of Art</a>.<br />
<br />
I visited recently to see their <a href="http://www.zanesvilleart.org/exhibitions/71st-ohio-annual-exhibition/" target="_blank">71st Annual Ohio Exhibition</a>. As the title suggests, this show is a juried event that features work by artists who presently live in (or have previously lived in) the state of Ohio. Taken in tandem with the State Fair's Fine Arts Exhibition the Zanesville exhibit offers a great opportunity to see some of the best work by Ohio artists.<br />
<br />
Like previous shows, this one was another winner. Thanks to either a liberal photography policy or the fact that no one noticed me, I snapped a few pics of some of things that caught my eye.<br />
<br />
Here are my highlights: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuWqp9dXrjAw_tJHGbTWGCTDKZY_dZAHnb6wZgG7_7ceRJBKJ_N3j3oE6Lb8YgFM19ek3yPhRj9r141YSm0Y724VP6YqWFneY6yEZ1F93iRWS6TPOhCAWpHe2zUok8E3vwNPOtp4TdBx8/s1600/Anita+Dawson+Moon+Rabbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuWqp9dXrjAw_tJHGbTWGCTDKZY_dZAHnb6wZgG7_7ceRJBKJ_N3j3oE6Lb8YgFM19ek3yPhRj9r141YSm0Y724VP6YqWFneY6yEZ1F93iRWS6TPOhCAWpHe2zUok8E3vwNPOtp4TdBx8/s320/Anita+Dawson+Moon+Rabbit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Moon Rabbit</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Anita Dawson<i> </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
I'm not sure if I'm sold on the collage elements, but the rabbit and the sky and the palette and the whole almost creepy storybook vibe just knocked me out. I looked at this one for a while, never entirely sure if I should pet the rabbit or run away from it.<br />
<br />
If this intrigues you the way it does me, know that Anita will have a solo show at <a href="http://www.sharonweissgallery.com/exhibits.html" target="_blank">Sharon Weiss Gallery in Columbus in August</a>. To see more of Anita's work, make with the clicky here: <a href="http://anita-dawson.squarespace.com/">http://anita-dawson.squarespace.com/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLgD5pDSn7menlBSvdGQEDOWO0BDnL8kI-fVNjeZDKzImIOatqWwHrQHxFyGGwvdoEXTjRxKMCts5bJgSeuVkt70OlJevmi4Rd5RPUH7BbcqcqTN38Ihw0khBhxVGbB8opROY2Px2zt2L/s1600/Barbara+McGonagle+Distraction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLgD5pDSn7menlBSvdGQEDOWO0BDnL8kI-fVNjeZDKzImIOatqWwHrQHxFyGGwvdoEXTjRxKMCts5bJgSeuVkt70OlJevmi4Rd5RPUH7BbcqcqTN38Ihw0khBhxVGbB8opROY2Px2zt2L/s320/Barbara+McGonagle+Distraction.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Distraction</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Barbara McGonagle<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I know, right?<a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/review-fiber-sculpture-1960-present-jr1" target="_blank"> I review one show on fiber art</a>, and now I think I'm some sort of expert. Seriously though, this bit of embroidery struck three of my nerves; the one that watched mom and grandma do needlework the entire time I was growing up, the one that appreciates graphic data visualization, and the one that lights up any time it sees something that even hints at the obsessive. Cherry. Cherry. Cherry.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Barb is from Oxford Ohio. If she has a web presence I couldn't find it. And really, good for her. The lack of an online footprint serves to reinforce the resolutely analog nature of her work. <i> </i></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NSuFF3t37ig1Sn73HFue72shRw02femaPof_9S13bakCCTf4H8eD4xLLuFdlT_1FzcmwIyCZ6UjSN0Po6LPq2wnwc_mIn8OQ7ucXZxTL9H517jiDgMMwlsN6dIPaRCL7zp87g8tG14a4/s1600/Fred+Fochtman+The+Collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NSuFF3t37ig1Sn73HFue72shRw02femaPof_9S13bakCCTf4H8eD4xLLuFdlT_1FzcmwIyCZ6UjSN0Po6LPq2wnwc_mIn8OQ7ucXZxTL9H517jiDgMMwlsN6dIPaRCL7zp87g8tG14a4/s320/Fred+Fochtman+The+Collection.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The Collection</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Fred Fochtman</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Fred Fochtman remains a favorite painter of mine. This still life/interior is a bit of a departure in that he's probably best known for his landscapes. Also, he's stretching the palette a bit with some colors you won't see in many of his other paintings. Not surprisingly, Fred won an award for this one. On the one hand, he deserves every award he gets, on the other, maybe he'd like to take a break and give some other painters a chance.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Fred is represented in Columbus by the Sharon Weiss Gallery: <a href="http://www.sharonweissgallery.com/fredrick-fochtman.html">http://www.sharonweissgallery.com/fredrick-fochtman.html<i></i></a> His personal web site remains comically incomplete: <a href="http://www.fredfochtman.com/">http://www.fredfochtman.com/</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVeXGRVh7tKPM5Cn9D-ap2j5-Cjj-0Q0RGUq7E-bT_rWrPNziVi5G88Xoc2nfpbKhAX-6LhxiA1WQcXdtWaF8c0N7eRPdltzbDJfvVHak5XyvSS6YMBWTjYDtrYV1nCdq4Cv8LyoKqmC1/s1600/See-Yun+Chang+Remeberance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVeXGRVh7tKPM5Cn9D-ap2j5-Cjj-0Q0RGUq7E-bT_rWrPNziVi5G88Xoc2nfpbKhAX-6LhxiA1WQcXdtWaF8c0N7eRPdltzbDJfvVHak5XyvSS6YMBWTjYDtrYV1nCdq4Cv8LyoKqmC1/s320/See-Yun+Chang+Remeberance.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Remembrance</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Si-Yun Chang<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Re: Fiber Art (see above). This is just a fantastic piece and a good example of fiber art shining in a way that other mediums don't. Yes it's a (mostly) flat wall hanging that's more or less an exploration in two-dimensional design. The fact is though, you can't pull this off with anything else. Oil can't offer the subtle variances. Ink can't capture the texture. Watercolor can't define the flow. Hang this in my home and I'd probably take up meditation. Srsly.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Si-Yun has no discernible web presence. Artists! </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_1nmDG2TGL_VlTEIXFD8VAPWHhnNI7l8CWAVf6asso-WKiTou0DOTsQt5I-CEouGiDWpTZ1b9AXOBIUTxEccpivt0UiJGaxcDe3zz0I58oBhNx3X7FXTeLiM-w728F7JRpt6-BI36pJb/s1600/Alice+Carpenter+Barn+Under+Blue+Moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_1nmDG2TGL_VlTEIXFD8VAPWHhnNI7l8CWAVf6asso-WKiTou0DOTsQt5I-CEouGiDWpTZ1b9AXOBIUTxEccpivt0UiJGaxcDe3zz0I58oBhNx3X7FXTeLiM-w728F7JRpt6-BI36pJb/s320/Alice+Carpenter+Barn+Under+Blue+Moon.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Barn Under Blue Moon </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Alice Carpenter<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
GWTP (Great Work, Terrible Picture). You have to take my word on this one. It's lovely and rich and intimate.<i> </i>It's like a tiny Whistler nocturne, but instead of boats and bridges it has barns and weeds. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Again...no real web site to direct folks to. Sorry. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQUC3C6DOa2f1syhR1hkievR0orQeZOEkniEl2vSbM53DnMzg2MFzO8AKJWlmHSvexsIEMr2AZl4_8w7oVJcT1AvObEx-aPQrNyyXE9_L4GFQTX5CDK0QbqmeN_Ol0yc4RBwIqjZ2lDtx/s1600/Sophie+Knee+Arrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQUC3C6DOa2f1syhR1hkievR0orQeZOEkniEl2vSbM53DnMzg2MFzO8AKJWlmHSvexsIEMr2AZl4_8w7oVJcT1AvObEx-aPQrNyyXE9_L4GFQTX5CDK0QbqmeN_Ol0yc4RBwIqjZ2lDtx/s320/Sophie+Knee+Arrow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Arrow</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sophie Knee</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I love Sophie's monoprints. They're gestural, economical, and always capture the essence of the subject. A testament to their power is the fact that they can turn someone like me (who's not really an animal person), into an animal person!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sophie's another Sharon Weiss artist: <a href="http://www.sharonweissgallery.com/sophie-knee.html" target="_blank">http://www.sharonweissgallery.com/sophie-knee.html </a> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i><br />
If the Ohio Exhibition weren't enough of an enticement the Zanesville Museum of Art also offers a lovely collection of <a href="http://www.zanesvilleart.org/collections/american-art-pottery-gallery/" target="_blank">American art pottery,</a> <a href="http://www.zanesvilleart.org/collections/american-art" target="_blank">American painting</a>, and a current exhibiton of <a href="http://www.zanesvilleart.org/scientific-wonders-botanical-prints-from-the-lloyd-library-and-museum" target="_blank">botanical prints</a>. If you're looking for a day trip from Columbus, take 70 east and enjoy a visit. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i></div>
Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-28632806194982540192015-05-10T11:23:00.000-04:002015-05-11T09:29:48.813-04:00How to Become a Rockstar Librarian in 10 Simple StepsSo, I guess for all my admonitions to "just be cool", it turns out I can be pretty caustic and pretty cynical myself. By way of proof, I offer up the list, "How to Become a Rockstar Librarian in 10 Simple Steps".<br />
<br />
See, the term (and archetype) Rockstar Librarian has become a sort of short-hand in our profession for those thought leaders, innovators, and agents of change who manage to become well-known in the profession. These Rockstar Librarians typically pen columns, present at conferences, write influential blogs, end up on various "best and brightest" lists, and deliver keynote addresses. The truth is, many Rockstar Librarians are lovely people. They sincerely want the profession to grow, to flourish and to remain relevant. They want libraries to improve and they want the lives of library users to improve as well.<br />
<br />
That said, there are a number of pretty unflattering behaviors associated with the Rockstar Librarian type. These include an inflated sense of self-importance, a conviction that they and they alone know what's right for the profession and a rigorously pedantic approach to addressing the issues facing libraries. It was with those Rockstar Librarians in mind that I wrote this list. (I should also mention that there's something a bit unnerving in the hierarchical aspect of the Rockstar Librarian. We are, after all, a profession that values both diversity of thought and the process of examining issues from all points of view. By elevating the beliefs of individuals who may have no more experiences than the rest of us to the level of experts seems to undermine those principles).<br />
<br />
Keen observers will note that the "steps" I prescribe amount to a classic strawman fallacy laid out in the form of a listicle. I've created an impossibly awful Rockstar Librarian (a caricature if you will) and proffered it up for mockery and attack. Keen observers will also note that <i>I'm</i> <i>actually engaging in some of the exact behaviors that I ridicule</i> (i.e. picking fights, mocking stereotypes, arguing from personal experience, etc.). To that I say, "Guilty, guilty and guilty". Realistically though, if I waited around for some flawless and blameless version of myself to materialize and publish this, it would never get posted. In the end I suppose I'm willing to answer charges of hypocrisy and sour grapes for the sake of a few laughs and maybe a larger conversation.<br />
<br />
At the end of the day, I really do want us to "just be cool". This is a big profession after all. We're a diverse group and we serve an even more diverse public. We have a lot to teach each other, and a lot to learn from one another. I'd like to think we can do that in a way that's respectful and considered. I'd also like to think that we can encourage one another to make a difference regardless of which path we choose and what work we do. In that sense, I'll join the <a href="http://bossladywrites.com/how-did-we-get-here-the-rise-and-hopeful-fall-of-rockstar-librarians/" target="_blank">thebossladywrites</a> and hope that perhaps we'll soon see the end of the Rockstar Librarian.<br />
<br />
Until then, and if you still insist on becoming one yourself, I present:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>How to Become a Rockstar Librarian in 10 Simple Steps</b></div>
<br />
<b>1. Refute Conventional Wisdom.</b> Always. No matter what. Even if conventional wisdom is actually right, refute it. You'll look all the more visionary!<br />
<br />
<b>2. Develop a Set of Perfectly True yet Somehow Vague and Unactionable Pronouncements. </b>"We need to invent the future of libraries", "We are in a partnership with our users", "Our task is to align our outcomes with our community's needs".<br />
<br />
<b>3. Mock Library Stereotypes.</b> Do this relentlessly. Remember, the more condescending and mean-spirited your mockery is, the more more knowing you'll appear.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Pick Fights on Twitter.</b><br />
<br />
<b>5. Engage in Relentless Self-Promotion.</b> Remember, you can't create a library based on your personal preferences unless you put yourself, your opinions and your worldview at the center of it. Build a strong personal brand and promote it without shame. Others will follow.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Accessorize and Individualize.</b> A fashion forward image is critical. No Rockstar Librarian ever showed up to work in a brown suit or off the rack career separates.<br />
<br />
<b>7. Pick more Fights on Twitter.</b> This time with strangers. (Pro Tip: Make people feel bad for caring about things that don't matter to you).<br />
<br />
<b>8. Declare the Death of Things.</b> Consider these, "Print is dead", "Physical formats are dead", "Reference is dead", "The catalog is dead", and even "The library is dead".<br />
<br />
<b>9. Embrace Solipsism</b>. Know that your Rockstar Librarian credentials come from personal experience, not empirical data. As such, make sure you relate to others in a way that focuses attention on you. The following are some great sentence starters, "At my library...", "When I was in charge...", "It is my belief...", "In my experience...", "What I did was...". Can you think of more?<br />
<br />
<b>10. Practice Effective Time Management:</b> If you find yourself spending more time serving others than promoting your agenda, you're doing it wrong.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-42543788938605362552015-04-12T14:10:00.000-04:002015-04-23T09:59:07.898-04:00Buzzword BacklashPerhaps the only thing more tired than business buzzwords is the backlash against business buzzwords.<br />
<br />
Maybe it's the circles I run in, but it seems that barely a week goes by without at least someone I know sharing an article about buzzwords that are overused, buzzwords I should stop using or buzzwords I should avoid immediately. The teasers all sound very knowing and very ominous. Typical are headlines like, "Most Annoying Buzzwords", "Buzzwords Gone Bad, and "Office Jargon: Six Tired Buzzwords to Avoid". Inevitably I'll click the link and find - much to my dismay - a bunch of words, phrases, and sayings that I either use myself, or find pretty much innocuous.<br />
<br />
Heck, I'll go one step further. Most of the buzzwords people spend their time decrying are actually useful; useful in that they do what good language is supposed to do; they convey the desired meaning in a manner that's both economical and easy to understand. Further, they almost always strike me (cliched or not) as more interesting than any "plain language" alternative that's offered.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwOI_liU7XnpF-JRw2ypItV2VY6DQmWvXPMiHTecdSi6nE5kretbDMlodpvng1GcqR7E23lEFMBw44ypq7Pwosqememx4er9m8vyjrf85kQb76D30b-DJ59tNGxNu-QuPmsjcnUUgfY76t/s1600/business+buzzwords.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwOI_liU7XnpF-JRw2ypItV2VY6DQmWvXPMiHTecdSi6nE5kretbDMlodpvng1GcqR7E23lEFMBw44ypq7Pwosqememx4er9m8vyjrf85kQb76D30b-DJ59tNGxNu-QuPmsjcnUUgfY76t/s1600/business+buzzwords.JPG" height="164" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Take "wheelhouse" for example. In this article offering <a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/2015/02/business-buzzwords-to-avoid.html" target="_blank">30 Business Buzzwords You Should Stop Using</a>, the author suggests that the term has been "around a long time and has become a bit of a cliche". Sure. Fine. It's a cliche. Still, if I'm sitting in a meeting and I have the choice between hearing someone say, "That's right in her wheelhouse" or "That's an assignment that matches her strengths. I expect she can handle it easily", I'll choose the former over the latter every day.<br />
<br />
The same thing applies to the much-maligned term "scalable". Would you rather hear someone ask "Is it scalable?" or ask instead "Is it the case that this process can handle a growing amount of work in a capable manner?" Given those alternatives, I'm pretty OK with scalable.<br />
<br />
Even when the brevity and clarity of buzzwords can be equaled, the results are often inferior. One article suggested dropping "ducks in a row" (as in, "We need to get our ducks in a row.") for "make a plan" (as in "We need to make a plan."). Unless one favors the embarrassingly prosaic, I don't see how this is an improvement. Is the expectation that the language we adopt be wholly literal? Are we to abandon metaphors, analogies, and figures of speech altogether? Who on earth would wish for that?<br />
<br />
Maybe that's what rankles me the most about buzzword backlash. When it comes to language I'm very much in the "language is a living and growing thing" camp. As such, I resist the admonitions of those who would prescribe when, how and what we should say. It's a form of cultural elitism that I've never been comfortable with.<br />
<br />
If you want to teach people how to use language effectively, have at it. If you've got ideas for how to improve communication or increase its effectiveness, I'm all ears. If, on the other hand, you just want to tell people what words you think they should or shouldn't use, well, good luck with that. You'll never convince me it's a good idea, and frankly, you'd have better luck trying to <a href="http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ekij45gdh/boil-the-ocean/" target="_blank">boil the ocean</a>. <br />
<br />Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-57037384403409663782015-03-28T11:24:00.000-04:002015-03-29T09:59:51.957-04:00Moveable Type: Igloo Letterpress Plans Move and ExpansionThere's a temptation to simply think of <a href="http://iglooletterpress.com/" target="_blank">Igloo Letterpress</a> as "the little shop that could"; the plucky, niche printing upstart swimming against the tide of digital image processing and online print orders. I suppose in a way they <i>are </i>that, what with their homespun origins and old-timey printing ways. The problem is, that narrative glosses over a set of pretty solid business fundamentals that have lead to both an impressive client list and expansion plans.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyegK-ODJFVyUREEJX9V0U94D9-7P4dNNsae0iOyijtAeUkqUpo86jxRamphrHwedxldTLhiTcZiC1YXzAnamfyklR_1-VC__RmD71lfh2nhXfEsIusaNftR8o7I8E_zNLgDOu8ggPr-Dl/s1600/20150326_201559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyegK-ODJFVyUREEJX9V0U94D9-7P4dNNsae0iOyijtAeUkqUpo86jxRamphrHwedxldTLhiTcZiC1YXzAnamfyklR_1-VC__RmD71lfh2nhXfEsIusaNftR8o7I8E_zNLgDOu8ggPr-Dl/s1600/20150326_201559.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Igloo loves Ohio!</span></i></div>
<br />
Not to get all MBA here, but businesses don't succeed and grow because they're cute. Businesses succeed and grow because they meet a need and do top-quality work. They succeed because they build authentic relationships; the kind of relationships that foster goodwill and ensure enthusiastic word of mouth marketing. They succeed because they provide value for their customers and their community. By these measures, "the little shop that could" has been putting on a clinic since re-locating from Minnesota to the central Ohio in 2008.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqvKkPFLgBP7BPd5gAtp1O4YxBh8JmV2wa8FW992igXMLoB5IjluV6ZOA4BciGMeVlmzjNW8_KUw7PQU0lZwBaCa45VkCpmu_LXRTQc1ebLU3QZN8xfOPRgjC6x7aOIc9gtSc5nQJHPzU/s1600/20150326_200819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqvKkPFLgBP7BPd5gAtp1O4YxBh8JmV2wa8FW992igXMLoB5IjluV6ZOA4BciGMeVlmzjNW8_KUw7PQU0lZwBaCa45VkCpmu_LXRTQc1ebLU3QZN8xfOPRgjC6x7aOIc9gtSc5nQJHPzU/s1600/20150326_200819.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Igloo has a library! Books include "Books Without Paste or Glue" and "How to Fold"</span></i></div>
<br />
As evidence of their success, Igloo will be moving from the cozy (cramped?) confines of 39 West New England in Worthington to a space that's four times larger and includes a High Street store front. The expansion will provide space for retail shopping and a visitor experience unlike any other. To strengthen their connection to the community, Igloo has launched a Kickstarter campaign in conjunction with the move. A successful campaign will give Igloo the chance to offer expanded community classes and take on additional public projects.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="600" src="https://vine.co/v/O3jmjdpOVbT/embed/simple" width="600"></iframe><script src="https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js"></script>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">One of Igloo's presses in action</span></i></div>
<br />
I had the chance to go behind the scenes recently at Igloo, and can attest to all of the above. This is a business the that does top quality work, cares about its customers, and adds value to the community. The fact that they're plucky upstarts doing some serious niche work is just icing on the cake.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLhJEPfsNMng_HPqrEPNE4KGQBRMZSgCvhCZRo22h2J17xekWFiH7gerTHbzMOLEocPac_ILniWOPcb30N10mwwhXX63WMwqHK5wnqPabCKw-LPbrj8GkEutesK1KtBgNoRFNvUFH__NJ/s1600/IMG_20150326_203055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLhJEPfsNMng_HPqrEPNE4KGQBRMZSgCvhCZRo22h2J17xekWFiH7gerTHbzMOLEocPac_ILniWOPcb30N10mwwhXX63WMwqHK5wnqPabCKw-LPbrj8GkEutesK1KtBgNoRFNvUFH__NJ/s1600/IMG_20150326_203055.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">2T 4EVA!</span></i></div>
<br />
Details on Igloo's Kickstarter campaign can be found here, <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/moveourigloo/move-our-igloo-create-a-studio-for-community-creat" target="_blank">Move Our Igloo</a>. If you think central Ohio needs more of this, then back them any way you can. And if you can't make a financial commitment then feel free to tweet, retweet and share the hashtag #moveourigloo Every little bit helps.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-74270519086645703402015-03-21T11:23:00.002-04:002015-03-21T11:23:14.461-04:00Columbus Street Art, I'm Calling You OutThis has gone on long enough.<br />
<br />
Seriously. <br />
<br />
Listen, I'm no expert on street art, and I'm not usually one to call out deficiencies in the central Ohio arts scene, but enough is enough. If Columbus intends to establish itself as a world-class city capable of supporting and advancing the visual arts, we really need to step up our game when it comes to street art, murals, and graffiti, because we clearly aren't world-class in this area yet.<br />
<br />
Yes, I know we can all point to any number of individual successes, "What about the Short North murals? What about the <a href="http://www.shortnorth.org/publicart" target="_blank">Mini-Murals</a>? What about Aminah Robinson? What about <a href="http://www.franklintonartsdistrict.com/urban-scrawl.html" target="_blank">Urban Scrawl</a>? <a href="http://wosu.org/2012/news/2010/05/07/columbus-mural-artist-dies-at-39/" target="_blank">Jeff Abraxes</a>? <a href="http://www.vinchen.com/" target="_blank">Vinchen</a>? Those count for something, don't they?" I suppose they do at some level, but I can't be the only one who browses sites like <a href="http://www.unurth.com/index" target="_blank">Unurth</a> and <a href="http://www.streetartutopia.com/" target="_blank">StreetArtUtopia</a> and sees a noticeable gap in quality between what's produced locally and what's happening further afield.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oNjhtwE3C-ocBqlZYcS-3aDAG0Tus1T6YNqBZFzEqA8dE7WqIVrsX7lVwTavAmM9ROVdjlvnfTUFNSAI-_6bUF33Cx1JvTBcjUhv8slQOmqhO_e_yyF1SFafsYyRX_rW8KoGA2rnsiok/s1600/part2ism_opium-wars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oNjhtwE3C-ocBqlZYcS-3aDAG0Tus1T6YNqBZFzEqA8dE7WqIVrsX7lVwTavAmM9ROVdjlvnfTUFNSAI-_6bUF33Cx1JvTBcjUhv8slQOmqhO_e_yyF1SFafsYyRX_rW8KoGA2rnsiok/s1600/part2ism_opium-wars.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Part2ism, <i>Opium Wars,</i> London</span></div>
<br />
And really, beyond those efforts listed above, who are the locals creating graffiti or street art that's of visual, emotional or intellectual interest? (Note: This is not a rhetorical question. If you know of someone, please school me now! Stephanie Rond and John Stommel are the only ones I can think of, and I believe John left town, taking his considerable talents with him). Is the problem documentation? Maybe great work<i> is being done</i> and I'm just not seeing it. I've maintained all along that someone invested in the local street art scene ought to start a blog and do the hard work of documentation.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7EVGXBIffFk61g1q3bVtb03JqEhYqKnqGgX_rJDkxWqnNYUdI2F01s59k8H8adVR8yTnx6jn4Hj8zYKAdvTkXXOF72VtUn7ElwWLc0D6rsbukdrx0cgF4jGJXN-aOc2pktRjQzpgO8Br/s1600/p_00049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7EVGXBIffFk61g1q3bVtb03JqEhYqKnqGgX_rJDkxWqnNYUdI2F01s59k8H8adVR8yTnx6jn4Hj8zYKAdvTkXXOF72VtUn7ElwWLc0D6rsbukdrx0cgF4jGJXN-aOc2pktRjQzpgO8Br/s1600/p_00049.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Vinchen, <i>Highly Desirable Luxury Object Retailer</i>, Columbus</span></div>
<br />
Maybe the issue is an inadequate support system. What systems do we have in place to develop really great street art? Where are public/private partnerships? What funding is available? What are the schools doing? Does CCAD still support it's Campus Mural Program? Could they expand it? What about Ohio State or Campus Partners? What about the GCAC, the OAC or the Cultural Arts Center? Does anyone even teach street art classes? Why not?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgfK7IqmRv22PnkiDhJyDly8jyzrySIpjMIDnlXwThjAH9AVZhbjhHr5_ejX86Wwy5mrXDDiJkGUUfwQuQsQOljGZYlSO07SLNqK_QeGvRiREHUJVeQ4Vs6LUZz-nEItLHPjfRRezyHf2/s1600/River+Recreation+mural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgfK7IqmRv22PnkiDhJyDly8jyzrySIpjMIDnlXwThjAH9AVZhbjhHr5_ejX86Wwy5mrXDDiJkGUUfwQuQsQOljGZYlSO07SLNqK_QeGvRiREHUJVeQ4Vs6LUZz-nEItLHPjfRRezyHf2/s1600/River+Recreation+mural.jpg" height="320" width="299" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jon Stommel, <i>River Recreation Mural</i>, Vancouver BC</span></div>
<br />
I know the Short North is taking steps to encourage street art, and so is the <a href="http://www.franklintonartsdistrict.com/" target="_blank">Franklinton Arts District</a>. A few years ago I highlighted some of my neighborhood's street art in an article for Columbus Underground (<a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/counter-offensive-street-art-gains-ground-in-old-north-columbus" target="_blank">Counter Offensive: Street Art Gains Ground in Old North Columbus</a>). While those initiatives were worth documenting, they were, by and large, modest efforts of an individual nature. Nothing noted in that piece was indicative of either systemic support or a larger cultural investment. Individuals saw a need to create and acted accordingly. That's great as far as it goes, but imagine how much more we could do if there were a coordinated effort to increase the quality, visibility and ricnhess of street art in Columbus.Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-9552596594165813912015-01-01T10:48:00.000-05:002015-02-08T13:08:59.600-05:002015 Resolutions: Something Old, Something NewI took stock of 2014's resolutions and <a href="http://onsummit.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014-year-in-review.html" target="_blank">came away with a solid C</a>.<br />
<br />
That means the 2015 resolutions will include some unfinished business from 2014 as well as some new entries.<br />
<br />
So, here then is what's on tap for the new year:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Read 52 Books</li>
<li>Paint 52 Paintings</li>
<li>Watch 52 TED Talks </li>
<li>Exercise Every Day </li>
<li>Eat More Fruits and Vegetables</li>
<li>Write at Least Eight Art Reviews for Columbus Underground</li>
<li>Keep Up With My Social Medias</li>
<li>Record With <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ghetto-Recorders/274202302614382" target="_blank">Jim Diamond in Detroit</a> (2014 carryover)</li>
<li>Take a Class in Painting or Drawing (2014 carryover)</li>
<li>Attend either OAL's Sunday <a href="http://www.oal.org/life_drawing" target="_blank">Life Drawing Sessions</a> or Wild Goose Creative's Wednesday <a href="http://www.wildgoosecreative.com/figure-drawing/" target="_blank">Life Drawing Sessions</a>.</li>
<li>Restore My 1977 Rally 200 Scooter (This will actually be outsourced to Jim at <a href="http://scootersourceinc.com/" target="_blank">ScooterSource Inc</a>, still I'd like to get it done.)</li>
<li>Rake Leaves (2014 Carryover. Seriously, I haven't raked leaves in two years. Hmm, maybe I don't need too...).</li>
<li>Paint the Living Room Dining Room, Stairwell and Hallway (2014 carryover)</li>
<li>Remodel the Kitchen (!!!!!)</li>
<li>Enroll in a <a href="http://www.coretactix.com/" target="_blank">Krav Maga Self-Defense Class</a> (2014 carryover)</li>
<li>Listen to More (New) Music</li>
<li>Buy More Local Music</li>
<li>Take My Lovely Wife Out More</li>
<li>Take Some Sort of Vacation and Travel Somewhere! (Maybe not Europe (see Kitchen Remodel and Scooter Restoration above), but somewhere!)</li>
<li>Develop and Grow Professionally (Library-wise <i>and</i> Art-wise)</li>
<li>Submit Entries to at least Five Art Exhibitions</li>
<li>Arrange at least one Solo Show for 2015-2016</li>
<li>Acknowledge Birthdays and Anniversaries as Appropriate (You know, like adults do).</li>
<li>Send out Christmas Cards (You know, like adults do). </li>
<li>Listen More</li>
<li>Be More Patient</li>
<li>Be More Understanding </li>
<li>Ask More Questions</li>
<li>Ask Better Questions</li>
<li>Leave Things Better Than I Found Them</li>
</ul>
Wish me luck!<br />
<br />
<br />Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-56971188698320276922014-12-25T11:10:00.003-05:002014-12-25T11:21:00.528-05:002014: The Year in ReviewI've been dreading this. My 2014 resolutions were made pretty explicitly and pretty publicly in this <a href="http://onsummit.blogspot.com/2014/01/2014-resolutions-deserve-their-own-post.html" target="_blank">January blog post</a>. Since then, they've been in the back of my mind, mostly in that, "Oh yeah...I should do that..." sort of way. Some I've acted on, some I haven't.<br />
<br />
So, since I'm a bullet-point kind of guy, and this is the season for making lists and checking them twice, let's look back and see how well (or poorly) I did with my 2014 resolutions:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Read 52 Books:</b> Done. This will happen. I've read 51 books so far and will certainly read one more before 12/31. For a full account of my 2014 reading, check out my GoodReads page: <span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/1095620">https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/1095620</a> (As a side note, I should mentioned that I'd also resolved that at least half the books I read in 2014 would be by authors who are women. I ended up reading 27). </span></li>
<li><b>Paint 52 Paintings:</b> Not done. Not even close. I completed 15 paintings in 2014. I'll do better in 2015. I promise.</li>
<li><b>Exercise Every Day:</b> Not done. This didn't happen either. While I do exercise most days, often, and semi-regularly, I've yet to nail it every day.</li>
<li><b>Eat More Fruits and Vegetables:</b> Done. I've eaten marginally more fruits and vegetables, mostly thanks to Tutti Jackson's fruit salads and regular stops at Northstar Cafe (see also Beechwold Salad).</li>
<li><b>Write at Least Eight Reviews for Columbus Underground:</b> Not done. I wrote seven. You can see them here: <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/author/jeff-r">http://www.columbusunderground.com/author/jeff-r</a> Realistically, I still have time slip an eighth one in. I really did like the <a href="http://www.pizzuticollection.org/now-ism-abstraction-today/" target="_blank">Now-Ism</a> show at Pizzuti Collection. Maybe I'll write about that.</span></li>
<li><b>Keep Up With My Social Medias:</b> Done. I did reasonably well here. I could probably stand to improve my Pinterest presence, but overall I think I'm mostly staying in the game.</li>
<li><b>Record With Jim Diamond in Detroit:</b> Not done. This didn't happen. We'll roll it over onto the 2015 list.</li>
<li><b>Take a Continuing Education Class at CCAD: </b>Not done. See above</li>
<li><b>Fix My Scooter:</b> Done. This happened! For the first time in probably five years I rode my long neglected 1965 Vespa 125 to work. Here's it is, humming along on Vine <span style="color: black;"><a href="https://vine.co/v/Mx1jUOKz7EB">https://vine.co/v/Mx1jUOKz7EB</a> (In related news, I also won a (running) scooter at the Scoot-A-Que raffle. All in all it was a good year on the scooter front. Next up? Win a garage!).</span></li>
<li><b>Rake Leaves:</b> Not done. LOL. Seriously. Not one leaf was raked; not the old 2013 leaves and not the new 2014 leaves.</li>
<li><b>Get a New Car: Well, new to me!</b> Done. There's been talk around our house of retiring the Saab. It's been spending a lot of time in the shop and presenting a lot of niggling issues that make it a hassle to drive. I'd been "informally" looking for something in a little better shape, and when a friend mentioned she was getting rid of her 2000 Saturn, I snatched it up. I know it's not the coolest car in the world, but when you've got multiple vintage Vespas (see above), you don't really have to sweat how cool your car is.</li>
<li><b>Paint the Living Room Dining Room, Stairwell and Hallway:</b> Not done. LOL. In fairness I took a week off in the spring with the intention of doing this. Apparently I got side-tracked. We'll add it to 2015.</li>
<li><b>Enroll in a Krav Maga Self-Defense Class:</b> Not done. We'll add it to 2015.</li>
<li><b>Establish a Primary Care Physician:</b> Done. This happened! For the first time in my adult life I have a PCP. That means regular check-ups, physicals, bloodwork and paper gowns!</li>
<li><b>Get All Those Horrid Tests Men My Age Get:</b> Done. Completed without comment. </li>
<li><b>Listen to More (New) Music: </b>Done. Well, more for me, which isn't a lot. For the last few years I'd paid very little attention to music and was kind of starting to miss it. This year I started listening to more music; not a lot, but more (baby steps).</li>
<li><b>Buy More Local Music: </b>Done. Thanks to Connections and Lydia Loveless I've purchased more local music in 2014 than I have in the previous 20 years combined!</li>
<li><b>Take My Lovely Wife Out More:</b> Done, though I got this one backwards (she takes me out). Still, we got to go out a lot and do a lot of fun things!</li>
<li><b>Talk My Lovely Wife Into a Trip To Ireland: </b>Done.<b> </b>I don't know that I really talked her into this (it was more like a tough week at work and a desperate need for a vacation forced her hand). Still, we did go to Ireland. You can read what I learned here: <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://onsummit.blogspot.com/2014/05/10-things-i-learned-in-ireland.html">http://onsummit.blogspot.com/2014/05/10-things-i-learned-in-ireland.html</a></span></li>
<li><b>Barring That - Take Some Sort of Travel Vacation!</b>: Done. I did however talk her into going to New York to see the Jeff Koons retrospective at the Whitney! </li>
<li><b>Listen More:</b> Done. I think I do! The truth is I'm so determined to not be one of those awful, insufferable, close-minded, intolerant old people that I probably spend more time on intentional self-improvement now than I ever have in the past.</li>
<li><b>Be More Patient:</b> Done. See above.</li>
<li><b>Be More Understanding:</b> Done. See above. </li>
<li><b>Ask More Questions:</b> Done. See above.</li>
<li><b>Ask Better Questions:</b> Done. See above.</li>
<li><b>Leave Things Better Than I Found Them:</b> Done. Isn't that why we're here?</li>
</ul>
So, what's the finally tally:<br />
<br />
26 resolutions presented.<br />
18 completed<br />
8 incomplete<br />
<br />
That's a solid C, right? Really, considering how hard life can be sometimes, I'll take it. <br />
<br />
Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!<br />
<br />
We'll see you in 2015! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-20678017105565568742014-10-18T10:07:00.001-04:002014-10-18T10:07:36.921-04:00The Latest AdditionMy wife and I have been putting together a modest collection of original art over the last few years. In this case "modest" means that we buy within our means and usually stick to smaller works, often by local artists. In the process of building our collection we've maintained a "wish list" of artists whose work we appreciate and would like one day to own. <a href="http://paulemory.com/index.html" target="_blank">Paul Emory</a> has been one such artist.<br />
<br />
So, it was our good fortune that we managed the winning bid for his painting "Tonya" at a recent <a href="http://www.oal.org/" target="_blank">Ohio Art League</a> fundraiser.<br />
<br />
If you're not familiar with Paul Emory's work...well...honestly it's hard to talk about. I say that because the words that one might be inclined to use (words like weird, naive, creepy, and childlike) can make his paintings sound...well...unattractive. Similarly, the works themselves present something of an acquired taste. The first encounter with them can be jarring. In his <a href="http://paulemory.com/narratives.html" target="_blank">narrative paintings</a>, haunting, stylized figures exist either in dreamlike interiors or shabby small-town tableaus.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://paulemory.com/images/na_027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://paulemory.com/images/na_027.jpg" height="254" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://paulemory.com/images/na_029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://paulemory.com/images/na_029.jpg" height="320" width="268" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
His <a href="http://paulemory.com/animals.html" target="_blank">fauna series</a> depicts vaguely anthropomorphic animals crowding the foreground and gazing directly at the viewer as if sitting for portraits.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://paulemory.com/images/an_022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://paulemory.com/images/an_022.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
<br />
Beyond first impressions though, it's clear that Paul Emory knows a lot about painting and a lot about art history. Looking at "Tonya" it occurred to me that one could present a pretty comprehensive lesson on painting from 1860 to 1930 using just this single work.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://paulemory.com/images/na_072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://paulemory.com/images/na_072.jpg" height="320" width="282" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Tonya </i>2003</span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
It has the impressionistic brushwork of Monet, the flattened figures of Manet, Matisse and Modigliani, the creepy Surrealism of DeChirco and Balthus, the patchwork of patterns favored by Bonnard, and the fractured compositions of Cubism. Going back even further, it's hard not draw the connection between the mischievous children in "Tonya" and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putto" target="_blank">putti </a>who appear in many classical and renaissance works.<br />
<br />
For me I suppose that's part of the attraction of Emory's work. It carries on a dialog with painting's past while presenting a vision that is both refreshing and singular. I'm thrilled to finally have one we can enjoy in our home.Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-62025918290222840822014-08-03T13:07:00.000-04:002015-08-02T17:09:45.412-04:00When Life Gives You Lemons...Anyone who's lived in the University District more than a couple years knows well the seasonal patterns of the migrating students who reside there.<br />
<br />
Football season brings wandering bands of scarlet and grey clad bros sporting traditional Natty Light crowns.<br />
<br />
Winter break sees a period of relative calm, punctuated by the backyard pyrotechnics and dumpster fires that signal the start of a New Year.<br />
<br />
Summer sees the great exodus as students return to their ancestral homes.<br />
<br />
And the end of summer? That's moving season; the time when leases expire and the annual game of musical apartments begins.<br />
<br />
A major part of this seasonal change involves an effort to "travel light" by jettisoning anything non-essential to the move. That usually means filling the campus area alleys with mattresses, TVs, chairs, couches, chests of drawers, and just about anything else that's either too heavy or too unfit to move.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZ3LzWEDSymNA7HxcdEI62WsmOiP3gxf9gelAheKCXW_NVoYWromXPshdDVh7an-VIlUSnSMnz70IlWkztxe9lQAZtAsoRDvoLwK4znbd3MQgM3CNV7YjONEOyQKifRmJr4maHAit_5Kv/s1600/au+nat+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZ3LzWEDSymNA7HxcdEI62WsmOiP3gxf9gelAheKCXW_NVoYWromXPshdDVh7an-VIlUSnSMnz70IlWkztxe9lQAZtAsoRDvoLwK4znbd3MQgM3CNV7YjONEOyQKifRmJr4maHAit_5Kv/s1600/au+nat+8.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGgoSO0d2-ziep6ie4F2oVgnoDhQjkktBAD-l96Y4nENoBXE2lTF5sFbKbNwmCaqTJrv1jGj40_O724FUDb9KC5YBcsSXl9zdN6_hEWgbC0ViMKzbL9lRPDAFT6xp1DPKIIMR3t1RbF-i/s1600/au+nat+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGgoSO0d2-ziep6ie4F2oVgnoDhQjkktBAD-l96Y4nENoBXE2lTF5sFbKbNwmCaqTJrv1jGj40_O724FUDb9KC5YBcsSXl9zdN6_hEWgbC0ViMKzbL9lRPDAFT6xp1DPKIIMR3t1RbF-i/s1600/au+nat+6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
To many, this accumulation of trash is nothing more than a seasonal eyesore. Me? I was taught that when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade! So it was with great excitement that I welcomed the appearance of this single mattress propped against the dumpster behind our house.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCyipiRp96WvwEkSxXX5QOfM6KYHVKL01-jcyX3qZ0zBQm77sy80QEVAUoY-unwBsghd9ylR7h_2Y1v_tUV6-xVe07GuUWmH_F1kijm8ylaLihYs38O9qEfr0gPqOdhY1n2APdKtCbyAD/s1600/au_naturel_1%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCyipiRp96WvwEkSxXX5QOfM6KYHVKL01-jcyX3qZ0zBQm77sy80QEVAUoY-unwBsghd9ylR7h_2Y1v_tUV6-xVe07GuUWmH_F1kijm8ylaLihYs38O9qEfr0gPqOdhY1n2APdKtCbyAD/s320/au_naturel_1%5B1%5D.jpg" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I understand that the untrained eye will see trash at the very best and a moldering biohazard at the very worst. To those of us well-versed in contemporary art though, this is opportunity!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
See, the annals of contemporary art are filled with readymades, matresses, mixed-media, found art, and the attendant transformational flourishes that accompany all of the above. Put another way, when I saw this mattress propped so perfectly against the dumpster I immediately recognized in it the essence of Sarah Lucas' now iconic sculpture <i>Au Naturel</i>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOsr48HOHb6O-gNJdYNyDuaPT7ESE32ooplHwtGrjl7GgfppbdWk9EhGgDxOJrfE16UhyHJgsz5tbUlRoUfOTbe5DkQuzA7XHFksS31Y5m5QaGDgosGFF_YxQB6my4joHtpU1mE2nTWwa/s1600/au+naturel+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOsr48HOHb6O-gNJdYNyDuaPT7ESE32ooplHwtGrjl7GgfppbdWk9EhGgDxOJrfE16UhyHJgsz5tbUlRoUfOTbe5DkQuzA7XHFksS31Y5m5QaGDgosGFF_YxQB6my4joHtpU1mE2nTWwa/s1600/au+naturel+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
OK. Lucas employed a queen sized bed, so there's that. The color on the one behind my house is not exactly right either. Also, hers was in a gallery and associated with one of the most important movements in 20th Century art. It reached (and spoke to) an international audience of art aficionados. My mattress is in an alley.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Still, how can one deny the Spirit! The Essence! The laconic posture of a filthy and unadorned mattress in full repose! How could I resist? (Plus, as Donald Rumsfeld so famously said, "You don't make contemporary art with the mattress you wish you had, make contemporary art with the mattress you have").</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Needless to say, this morning I hustled up a couple of oranges and a cucumber and unveiled my newest work (You're welcome!) <i>Au Naturel - Male (after Lucas).</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduAh_BCr7UUa5ltYlzjBVvJ52C1gSK41Nr6jZW2FTPWGxfhKF_R78wt5iYH3h6Oma_JBjYnfXpttNgDyOBoe0vsN-9uQa-O9ytSjVb6tTfzXHI5eyFiQ7o9TZXyQBNEHGxYhtGb-iNqSx/s1600/au+naturel+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduAh_BCr7UUa5ltYlzjBVvJ52C1gSK41Nr6jZW2FTPWGxfhKF_R78wt5iYH3h6Oma_JBjYnfXpttNgDyOBoe0vsN-9uQa-O9ytSjVb6tTfzXHI5eyFiQ7o9TZXyQBNEHGxYhtGb-iNqSx/s1600/au+naturel+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
A couple notes on the execution and presentation: This work is less a copy of Lucas' piece and more of an appreciation. Given the mattress was a single, certain compromises had to be made. The selection of the male form over the female form should not be read as anything more than a choice borne of convenience. Similarly, the selection of a traditional North American cucumber (over the European/English variety favored by Lucas) should not be seen as a particular endorsement. Each variety has its own merits and should be judged accordingly.<br />
<br />
<i>Au Naturel - Male (after Lucas)</i> will be on view in Dixon alley (between Clinton and Maynard) for an indeterminate period of time. <i>Note: this work contains mature themes.</i>Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-67489139470507824922014-07-26T17:35:00.003-04:002014-07-28T07:34:51.113-04:00How to Buy Jeff's PaintingsIt occurred to me recently that I don't make it very easy for people to shop for my paintings.<br />
<br />
I don't have a gallery. <br />
<br />
I don't have an Etsy page.<br />
<br />
I don't have a Saatchi Art page.<br />
<br />
I don't have an AbsoluteArts page. <br />
<br />
I don't have a web site that shows available works, terms, prices, or any of the other rudimentary elements that comprise most free-market transactions.<br />
<br />
I should probably fix that at some point. <br />
<br />
In the meantime, here's a blog post that will hopefully answer a few of the most common questions regarding "how to buy Jeff's paintings".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3eFwjWQel0FPQS-xtDXJgxpi9SLcQYYXDKuiaTltCKOYTDCxAn9qzxAUGecDUly1uoKYcRfGy4quV_st3TME1zQkwnniu-MO-J5bgIYq-2gTS5GOgMv1DCwKhyh3BDA45ub4gPHulDJo/s1600/how+to+buy+jeff%27s+paintings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3eFwjWQel0FPQS-xtDXJgxpi9SLcQYYXDKuiaTltCKOYTDCxAn9qzxAUGecDUly1uoKYcRfGy4quV_st3TME1zQkwnniu-MO-J5bgIYq-2gTS5GOgMv1DCwKhyh3BDA45ub4gPHulDJo/s1600/how+to+buy+jeff's+paintings.jpg" height="237" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Where can I see Jeff's paintings?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Jeff maintains a <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/jregensb/art-i-made/" target="_blank">Pinterest page</a> that features many of his completed paintings. That's probably the best place to look. He doesn't post every completed painting on Pinterest, but he posts a lot of them. Some have already sold, but many are still available.</li>
</ul>
<b>How much do Jeff's paintings cost?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Size is probably the biggest determining factor when it comes to price. The smallest ones (5" x 7") are generally $250.00 - $300.00. The medium sized ones (9" x 12") are generally around $500.00 - $700.00. The largest ones are about $1000.00. Pricing is not an exact science, but those numbers will at least get you in the ballpark.</li>
</ul>
<b>What does that get me?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Well, you'll get the painting (natch). It will be signed and dated too! (By Jeff, on the back). Jeff doesn't sign paintings on the front. He's not really sure why. It might be because the front is where the painting goes. In any event, he just doesn't sign there.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Your painting will also come framed in a really nice <a href="http://www.hackmanframes.com/main/home.php" target="_blank">Hackman Frame</a>. These are handmade and hand-leafed frames. The corners are finished (i.e. there are no visible miter joints) and the painting is "floated" in the frame (unless it's a work on paper. Then it gets matted, put under glass, and then framed). Either way, it's a really nice presentation (if perhaps a bit traditional).</li>
</ul>
<b>Do I have to buy it framed? Can I buy it unframed at a lower price?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Jeff is kind of a stickler for presentation and prefers to sell his paintings appropriately framed. Obviously buyers are free to have the paintings framed however they like once they take possession. Jeff does not recommend this. It's unlikely they'll be able to improve greatly on the work presented at the point of purchase.</li>
</ul>
<b>So what if I decide I'm interested in a painting and I'm thinking about making a purchase?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>At that point the simplest thing would be to get in touch with Jeff at jregensb(@)gmail.com and make an inquiry. If you identify a particular painting of interest, Jeff can let you know if it's available. If it is, the next step would be a studio visit. You and Jeff would arrange a time to meet at his studio to see the work in person. Similarly, if you just wanted to browse and see what's available a studio visit can be arranged for that as well.</li>
</ul>
<b>So, I should just contact Jeff if I'm interested in his work or in seeing more? Is that how it works?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Yep. Pretty much.<b> </b><b></b></li>
</ul>
<b>What if I go through all that and I decide I don't want a painting after all. Won't that hurt Jeff's feelings?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>No</li>
</ul>
<b>Are you sure?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Yeah. Pretty sure.</li>
</ul>
<b>Is there some way I can buy Jeff's paintings without going directly through Jeff?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Yes. While Jeff doesn't have gallery representation, he occasionally has works available for sale in group shows, specialized galleries, or any variety of local auction-based fundraisers. These opportunities come up sporadically, and Jeff usually promotes them through his social media channels. The best way to find out about these events is to follow <a href="http://www.onsummit.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jeff's blog</a>, his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jeff.regensburger.9" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffrey_r" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</li>
</ul>
<b>What if I don't have enough money to pay for a painting all at once. Can I make payments?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Jeff's pretty reasonable about stuff like that. He wants people to enjoy his paintings so he's usually willing to work with them.</li>
</ul>
<b>Are the prices negotiable?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Jeff feels like his work is priced fairly. When one factors in the time, materials, and the cost of framing, it turns out the prices are pretty reasonable (perhaps even a bit low). It's a high-quality presentation too; one that will offer years and years of enjoyment. </li>
</ul>
<br />Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-43116728535315787152014-07-13T11:05:00.001-04:002014-07-13T11:06:36.711-04:00Summer Show at CS GalleryI've been invited to show some paintings at <a href="http://cobenickstudios.com/csgallery/cs-gallery/">CS Gallery</a> this month.<br />
<br />
It's actually a group show put on in cooperation with <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/">Columbus Underground</a> and featuring a number of their <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/tag/local-artist-spotlight">"Local Artist Spotlight"</a> participants and/or <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/best-local-artist-of-2013-laura-alexander-bo2013">"Best of 2013"</a> artists.<br />
<br />
The line-up includes:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.adambrouillette.com/">Adam Brouillette</a><br />
<a href="http://emptybush.com/home.html">Michael Bush</a><br />
<a href="http://sweetstelladesigns.com/">Amy Neiwirth</a><br />
<a href="http://robertpatricy.com/">Robert Patricy</a><br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/jregensb/art-i-made/">Jeff Regensburger</a><br />
<br />
I'll be submitting five new paintings to the show, including these two:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZTg2x5MN_LUstxmNmFp6KDlYfGuaoGSrUAdQLlbcug3lKGwdHASWUe33NUKLm8qHDb5sBA_6hic4m4hHiYnqxH41ZOo5TEYuiMZjakfAYIiUWkoTK_Rtt4Vfmsxc_i_5G7howyoF9ux5/s1600/Landscape+(F2,+Late+Evening).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZTg2x5MN_LUstxmNmFp6KDlYfGuaoGSrUAdQLlbcug3lKGwdHASWUe33NUKLm8qHDb5sBA_6hic4m4hHiYnqxH41ZOo5TEYuiMZjakfAYIiUWkoTK_Rtt4Vfmsxc_i_5G7howyoF9ux5/s1600/Landscape+(F2,+Late+Evening).jpg" height="229" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Landscape (F2, Late Evening)</i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTzdKZ611fW_QugvvCjM5opCMdp44CSUfXio3Uhg7A105ao4ths8_JeqRAbeehN80hhga-kJZ_o8GIjq_CIJB-v8pta9pxqoBHtHhkbwToZToS1GfTjah3ap1MkYBWXIAaHFOIqfmApdO/s1600/Portrait+(F2+at+750+Yards).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTzdKZ611fW_QugvvCjM5opCMdp44CSUfXio3Uhg7A105ao4ths8_JeqRAbeehN80hhga-kJZ_o8GIjq_CIJB-v8pta9pxqoBHtHhkbwToZToS1GfTjah3ap1MkYBWXIAaHFOIqfmApdO/s1600/Portrait+(F2+at+750+Yards).jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Portrait (F2 at 750 Yards)</i></span> </div>
<br />
The exhibition runs July 18th - July 30th, 2014.<br />
<br />
The opening reception is Friday July 18th from 6:00 - 9:00 PM.<br />
<br />
CS Gallery is located at 66 Parsons Ave, Columbus, OH 43215 <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-58061772427163868572014-05-18T21:31:00.000-04:002014-05-19T06:34:56.945-04:0010 Things I Learned in IrelandI've done a fair amount of traveling; more than some, less than others. I like travel. I like seeing new places and experiencing new things.I don't necessarily set up lesson plans or assign myself homework, but the fact is I do travel with the idea that I'll learn something along the way. It's the Rick Steve's philosophy that travel should be about broadening horizons and gaining new perspectives.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5OSGam7sjGGY7hhQzTQtnxOJr87S0dTjdJAIHGHraIjyhkjwoZpBHsKkn703JcuX5T9YxonXRBoU4Iyxi89c48zRIMnHm0g55ZRBTIS8DZwshCSd4FOiNWo8vPO54nBHW48c-C3SQuNw/s1600/20140503_102447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5OSGam7sjGGY7hhQzTQtnxOJr87S0dTjdJAIHGHraIjyhkjwoZpBHsKkn703JcuX5T9YxonXRBoU4Iyxi89c48zRIMnHm0g55ZRBTIS8DZwshCSd4FOiNWo8vPO54nBHW48c-C3SQuNw/s1600/20140503_102447.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Carrickfergus</i></span> </div>
<br />
And while I hope that all my travels have taught me something, this most recent trip to Ireland found me learning much more than I ever have before. I'd like to think that's because I'm getting better at learning, but the truth is it's probably because I knew precious little about Ireland to begin with (I was, as they say, the emptiest of empty vessels). As I told my wife, I think I learned more about Ireland in the 25 minutes we spent in the National Gallery Gift Shop than I did in my entire life before then (In all fairness, they had some very good children's books on the Easter Uprising, Vikings and the Battle of Clontarf).<br />
<br />
Happily, I know more now than I did then. My wife and I had a terrific time and saw some amazing sites. So, without further adieu (and before I forget them), here's 10 Things I Learned in Ireland.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Ireland has artists.</b><br />
I know you're thinking that Ireland only has writers, poets, and playwrights, but they have artists too; good ones! Jon Lavery, Paul Henry, Sean Scully, and Jack B. Yeats (that would be W.B. Yeats brother) are all terrific artists who claim Ireland as their home.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSqKmJwmCdc1HQ6J9DS5liQiIragJ81leJ3oTp_RBkCFe1TPlYNfnMFYyyyuZ4Sr4dBea-2priBNF1joSaEhwl2sxeq-BXg_c6X0RwL-0csoQtuu8xbMeoPVVuCRSfTaCWEiL25rlWmtN/s1600/jon+lavery+japanese-switzerland-1913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSqKmJwmCdc1HQ6J9DS5liQiIragJ81leJ3oTp_RBkCFe1TPlYNfnMFYyyyuZ4Sr4dBea-2priBNF1joSaEhwl2sxeq-BXg_c6X0RwL-0csoQtuu8xbMeoPVVuCRSfTaCWEiL25rlWmtN/s1600/jon+lavery+japanese-switzerland-1913.jpg" height="320" width="221" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Jon Lavery's "Japanese Switzerland"</i></span></div>
<br />
<b>2. Francis Bacon was one of them.</b><br />
Maybe I knew this at some point, but I sure don't remember. Francis Bacon was<b> </b>born in Dublin to parents of English descent. He eventually moved to London, but his famously messy studio is reconstructed and on view at the <a href="http://www.hughlane.ie/" target="_blank">Dublin City Museum Hugh Lane Gallery</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRO-Pdg9RwBG3BF27iDW_3t3Ag-aNnH8iDCGfG0jOXsqEcheD0d9wgbM-Y5lHIXKqmwmp8wrxmJEcQlbB9PLgtDE-KEo44iB_2plGq3XfCGnYbw3Z8_brGSyQaqvf7WYAL61uAGghQ4pR/s1600/20140429_105539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRO-Pdg9RwBG3BF27iDW_3t3Ag-aNnH8iDCGfG0jOXsqEcheD0d9wgbM-Y5lHIXKqmwmp8wrxmJEcQlbB9PLgtDE-KEo44iB_2plGq3XfCGnYbw3Z8_brGSyQaqvf7WYAL61uAGghQ4pR/s1600/20140429_105539.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Detail of Francis Bacon's Reconstructed Studio</i></span></div>
<br />
<b>3. The famous Dublin Spire replaced another equally famous tower on O'Connell Street.</b><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson%27s_Pillar" target="_blank">Nelson's Pillar</a> once stood on O'Connell street in the same spot currently occupied by the Dublin Spire. That monumental Doric column had originally been erected to honor Admiral Nelson's victory at Trafalgar. After years of quiet (and not so quiet) resentment, the IRA blew it up (well, mostly blew it up) in 1966.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14ulrq2fIE45RGK6PacOjPI1xSD0C2EeFGYBUx4geHYapi-Mf2okdCV7J6dA7SSshVoRwAPGV9Tz-2tZzV6fgN3VXeKY98C-H_E8OaNPTW_OYi6YEofbvFZqtHAtFQ76bXgJOI60CWEuR/s1600/A_half-demolished_Nelsons_Pillar_on_OConnell_Street,_Dublin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14ulrq2fIE45RGK6PacOjPI1xSD0C2EeFGYBUx4geHYapi-Mf2okdCV7J6dA7SSshVoRwAPGV9Tz-2tZzV6fgN3VXeKY98C-H_E8OaNPTW_OYi6YEofbvFZqtHAtFQ76bXgJOI60CWEuR/s1600/A_half-demolished_Nelsons_Pillar_on_OConnell_Street,_Dublin.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Then: Nelson's Pillar (Post IRA)</i></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7qmMpGgSSrd9YR91ZhUKVfcC3D2ZbL0ZIVIbYtPgtm92-iT828oY5B71mdiW35y2qZsDINXPrRAKNWPgvOv5ZKure8HpkBDNPopFbROyQwU_Jn3NhK8OQ3KnqntpAqqUrCKoVNQKbiuw/s1600/Spire_of_Dublin_in_the_morning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7qmMpGgSSrd9YR91ZhUKVfcC3D2ZbL0ZIVIbYtPgtm92-iT828oY5B71mdiW35y2qZsDINXPrRAKNWPgvOv5ZKure8HpkBDNPopFbROyQwU_Jn3NhK8OQ3KnqntpAqqUrCKoVNQKbiuw/s1600/Spire_of_Dublin_in_the_morning.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">And Now: Dublin Spire (Today)</span></i></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>4. You can get "American coffee" in Ireland, but its not made like Americans make it (and that's a good thing).</b><br />
Let's start with American coffee. If you get it in America there's a good chance it will be brewed by the pot or by the carafe via an automatic drip coffee machine. It's then kept warm/hot until you order a cup. At that point your server pours you a serving, and that's that.<br />
<br />
The Irish version of American coffee isn't like that at all. In Ireland an American coffee means someone will brew (to order) two cups of espresso. Then they pour that into a big cup and add hot water so it's diluted down to the strength of our automatic drip version. This method doesn't just approximate the taste of American coffee, it improves it. It's a charming, artisnal kind of process really, but like so much Old World charm (public transit, national healthcare, civility) it would never fly over here in the States. It takes about three minutes longer to serve coffee this way, and time is money you know...<br />
<br />
<b>5. Irish history is complicated.</b><br />
It was, and it still is. Between the Vikings, the Normans, the English, the Scots, and well...the Irish, it's no wonder things were so unsettled for so long. Toss in a little religious intolerance (OK, a lot) and you've got, well, Troubles.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Dublin's St. Patrick's Cathedral is an Anglican church</b>.<br />
Herein lies my Catholic bias. Seriously. It never occurred to me that a church called St. Patrick's could be anything but a Catholic church. I was raised Catholic in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood. I spent the grades K-12 in Catholic schools. My middle name is Patrick. Catholics invented St. Patrick's day. They taught us about him in our Catholic schools. I just assumed his church would...well...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkhrnwz0b4XSS9HcYpNFtSpa3Zo2lLAk7idFFGusXT-Kw-r-D9H8scWZ7FuaSss-MGUD499iJaQPfeb597RbUJcWs4cUQpf4b4ExUBelV0cuZs7A_Ybc6wbLP4sQNSEsgK_KQIXM4ZWY2/s1600/20140430_134045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkhrnwz0b4XSS9HcYpNFtSpa3Zo2lLAk7idFFGusXT-Kw-r-D9H8scWZ7FuaSss-MGUD499iJaQPfeb597RbUJcWs4cUQpf4b4ExUBelV0cuZs7A_Ybc6wbLP4sQNSEsgK_KQIXM4ZWY2/s1600/20140430_134045.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>St. Patrick's Cathedral</i></span></div>
<br />
So we walk into the Cathedral and there's all these little clues that start pouring in: why is the gift shop <i>in the church proper</i>? Why does the Bishop in the painting <i>have grandchildren</i>? Why are there <i>regimental flags</i> hanging in here? Why<i> isn't</i> the Papal flag hanging in here? Where's the <i>Holy Water???</i><br />
<br />
My wife eventually figures it out and suddenly it's like were playing an away game. I've lost the home field advantage and I'm starting to get rattled. I'm out of my element. What should I do? Turn myself in? Pray? To who? The Virgin Mary? Well that won't work in here, will it?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGO29lxPEW0oKuAvLoqTzgdfCt1vU6wmG4LYgBzsQLzpVoChC79AZkSKmhN-_vjGAt4KxtB0giImwlDTG0Pi5GK7IaqAPdadtlInsyBB3btfouDpQjpIf24UwIiVmaiBwY4MuqEVvcCOiL/s1600/20140430_140134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGO29lxPEW0oKuAvLoqTzgdfCt1vU6wmG4LYgBzsQLzpVoChC79AZkSKmhN-_vjGAt4KxtB0giImwlDTG0Pi5GK7IaqAPdadtlInsyBB3btfouDpQjpIf24UwIiVmaiBwY4MuqEVvcCOiL/s1600/20140430_140134.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>St. Patrick's Cathedral (Interior)</i></span></div>
<br />
Which over-dramatizes things a bit - but not really. It was ultimately a very telling (and personal) lesson not just in what it means to self-identify, but in the strength that self-identification can carry, even when we <i>should</i> know better. <br />
<br />
<b>7. The Battle of Clontarf is a big deal.</b><br />
It's big. Agincourt big. Hasting big. Yorktown big. D-Day big. Irish unity prevails over hostile Viking raiders. Or at least that's the popular version. The reality is much messier than that and much more complicated. One particularly inventive way of telling the story was offered by <a href="http://www.littlemuseum.ie/" target="_blank">The Little Museum of Dublin</a>. They engaged artist Fergal McCarthy to narrate the events of the battle in the style of a graphic novel on the walls of the gallery itself.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nbHBnw67EwEyin0lU9sDV0-y2V7C-vUPNDrQuAPVMqG8U41vEzYgxG_2l1rHx668LJioYe2Qx__c32wugpZ3ylhHTDAUGaq4f7WlRkfGqwb6KgXALsO8prZvlpfrRi7B4ajikn4-qEUw/s1600/20140430_115604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nbHBnw67EwEyin0lU9sDV0-y2V7C-vUPNDrQuAPVMqG8U41vEzYgxG_2l1rHx668LJioYe2Qx__c32wugpZ3ylhHTDAUGaq4f7WlRkfGqwb6KgXALsO8prZvlpfrRi7B4ajikn4-qEUw/s1600/20140430_115604.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Battle of Clontarf as depicted by Fergal McCarthy</i></span></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>8. Ireland was neutral during World War II.</b><br />
They were! In Ireland World War Two was euphemistically referred to as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emergency_%28Ireland%29" target="_blank">"The Emergency"</a>. While I haven't read too far into this part of Irish history my hunch is that their neutrality was the result of two things, the trepidation of a young republic (you'll recall another young republic that once tried staying neutral too) and a distrust of all things British.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>9. The Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site (and with good reason). It's beautiful.</b><br />
I'm not even going to try to explain it, any more than I'd try to explain the Grand Canyon. Just trust me, or better yet, go see it for yourself.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46Bgr3aErkJ78ipLd1BsHxHGYpMDsbT7IYyTSFsdc5PqWMpgziRdLOywrwipeRrdsWqoWPwFWHjci4xktFSYHOXylwWAD-FTTsDlnm7wVIwt5WwW_ew0wCLWYIDgBd7QOUkPUhJuD58mg/s1600/20140503_154757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46Bgr3aErkJ78ipLd1BsHxHGYpMDsbT7IYyTSFsdc5PqWMpgziRdLOywrwipeRrdsWqoWPwFWHjci4xktFSYHOXylwWAD-FTTsDlnm7wVIwt5WwW_ew0wCLWYIDgBd7QOUkPUhJuD58mg/s1600/20140503_154757.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>10. The people of Ireland are a friendly bunch.</b><br />
And accommodating too. They really are! Every inquiry involving any element of service anywhere was answered with a prompt, "No problem!". It's like their default setting and one I promised I bring back home with me. Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-63539527950772067652014-04-20T09:09:00.000-04:002014-04-20T09:09:44.609-04:00I'm Sensing a TrendIs it too late to make these into some kind of promo for Record Store Day?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4Vlol4wwm3fM_Ici6ntKmxuokbANdXJBR4CFkW27DJaphAMwWrAd5p31sXnIq3RwEkoxGR88YEnNohPW459RhKhgeIHxc6hlmkkjlK6PPh8cW_WQms_aq2c4ryApClziMJfLkBNWq6t6/s1600/DSCN2384.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpybBUUru8cEvpR6sWEIZqunChaziRFr-ZXbvCAWQvp1365oFiT8a_7aZ8sE3ohaa51LlcljcQa0ImKePu6TI-SQg1ktY_JbLl2-QV7bV3bTUJ2U-Tx9oTmR0Uiyed9-j3HLoSZlGFfhe/s1600/130c8ccd21ffa88eab13a564d709feb5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpybBUUru8cEvpR6sWEIZqunChaziRFr-ZXbvCAWQvp1365oFiT8a_7aZ8sE3ohaa51LlcljcQa0ImKePu6TI-SQg1ktY_JbLl2-QV7bV3bTUJ2U-Tx9oTmR0Uiyed9-j3HLoSZlGFfhe/s1600/130c8ccd21ffa88eab13a564d709feb5.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijknKgQLzQqLvgItbT2HbMuE76QTcKc1iFRCFaOC_yxrCDant9wmbAhF8kEZoaXp0uOGkk3LQpFdtPqn-ODRqeJX0f_xU-8T0d6Ib2ypSH0qgAOqeOWa9113UU_GaKC7y9gAlCuTjHoTg7/s1600/LetsNotBeFriendsRecord.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijknKgQLzQqLvgItbT2HbMuE76QTcKc1iFRCFaOC_yxrCDant9wmbAhF8kEZoaXp0uOGkk3LQpFdtPqn-ODRqeJX0f_xU-8T0d6Ib2ypSH0qgAOqeOWa9113UU_GaKC7y9gAlCuTjHoTg7/s1600/LetsNotBeFriendsRecord.jpg" height="320" width="315" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Maybe next year.<br />
<br />
In any event, props to <a href="http://thechristopherrendition.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">The Christopher Rendition</a>, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/call-the-midwife/home/" target="_blank">Call the Midwife</a>, and <a href="http://www.thegirlsbang.com/" target="_blank">The Girls</a> for supporting vinyl and all those who peddle it. <br />
<br />
<br />
Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-13181580907598797402014-04-04T19:14:00.000-04:002014-04-04T19:14:17.492-04:00Censorship DefinedI occassionally find myself having to explain to people what censorship is.<br />
<br />
So, for easy reference I've compiled a number of definitions from authoritative sources.<br />
<br />
Please feel free to link and share as needed: <br />
<br />
<b>Oxford World Encyclopedia</b> (Oxford University Press)<br />
Censorship: System whereby a government-appointed body or official
claims the right to protect the public interest by influencing the
release of any item of mass communication.<br />
<br />
<b>The World of Criminal Justice </b>(Facts on File)<br />
Censorship occurs when a government, business, or individual suppresses
speech, writing, art, or any other form of communication.<br />
<br />
<b>The New Oxford Companion to Law </b>(Oxford University Press)<br />
Censorship commonly refers to the determination by a public official
that certain material is unsuitable for publication or performance on
grounds such as morality, religion, politics, or national security. The
material may be banned outright or its circulation restricted to those
thought less susceptible to its influence.<br />
<br />
<b>Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Political Thought</b><br />
Censorship: the practice of examining, restricting and prohibiting
public acts, expressions of opinion, and artistic performances.<br />
<br />
<b>The Columbia Encyclopedia</b> (Columbia University Press)<br />
Censorship: Official prohibition or restriction of any type of
expression believed to threaten the political, social, or moral order.
It may be imposed by governmental authority, local or national, by a
religious body, or occasionally by a powerful private group. It may be
applied to the mails, speech, the press, the theater, dance, art,
literature, photography, the cinema, radio, television, or computer
networks. Censorship may be either preventive or punitive, according to
whether it is exercised before or after the expression has been made
public.<br />
<br />
<b>The Encyclopedia of International Media and Communication</b> (Elsevier Science)<br />
Censorship¦is the act of suppressing or deleting expression that
is considered objectionable on moral, political, religious, military, or
other grounds. The term is applied most often to interference by a
government or an authority in interpersonal or mass
communication. ¦Censorship takes two basic forms: state-imposed and
self-imposed. The first form is forced by a group in power on the
individuals who are subject to the group’s authority. It usually
includes penalties, or their threat, that create a “chilling
effect" prompting individuals to impose censorship on themselves
to avoid punishment. <br />
<br />
<b>Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices</b>.<br />
Censorship is the regulation of speech and other forms of expression by
an entrenched authority. Intended as a kind of safeguard for society,
typically to protect norms and values, censorship suppresses what is
considered objectionable from a political, moral, or religious
standpoint. <br />
Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-65015848792055265102014-03-09T11:20:00.003-04:002014-03-09T11:23:45.860-04:00The Boss? Again?Yes, Bruce Springsteen has found his way into consecutive blog posts. Coincidentally this is another "Johnny come lately" tale from my life as a middling music fan.
I say "Johnny come lately" because the fan culture I grew up in (New Wave -> Punk -> College -> Alternative -> Indie -> Whatevs) placed an extremely high value on discovery; on being the first to discover a band, on knowing about a band before your friends and peers did, on seeing a band before "they got big". This "will to discovery" is summed up perfectly in the (usually) condescending and (always) pedantic observation that "Their early stuff was better" (See Also, "They were better with the original line-up", "They were better before they signed to a major" "They were better two years ago at [insert name of small venue here]).<br />
<br />
None of this should be too surprising. Information is power after all, and people will wield it accordingly; even when talking about something as presumably benign as popular music. (To be fair, it's not all snobbery. There are often qualitative differences that occur over the arc of any given band's career. One could make a a pretty compelling case that the Bob Stinson era Replacements were in fact better than the post-Bob Stinson Replacements).<br />
<br />
Point being, if you want to like a band, you're welcome to, but really the gold standard is to have liked them before anyone else did. And in those unfortunate cases when you didn't have the intellect or foresight to like them before anyone else did, at least have the good sense to like their older stuff.<br />
<br />
Which brings us to Australian punk pioneers The Saints, and (in a manner) to Bruce Springsteen.
The Saints (along with a handful of other acts) sit squarely at Punk Rock Ground Zero. Seminal, overused as it is, remains exactly the right word. Their 1977 debut "I'm Stranded" stands as one of punk's founding documents; the playbook, gospel, and constitution all rolled up in one roaring 35 minute package. Its buzz-saw guitars and blatant disregard for commercial viability helped define music for a generation.<br />
<br />
Also, I've never heard it.
Seriously. Never owned it. Never heard it.<br />
<br />
Oh sure, I've heard the single "I'm Stranded" (It was impossible not to in the circles I ran in), but beyond that the album never graced my ears.<br />
<br />
What I have heard, owned, and loved was The Saints seventh album (yes, seventh), "All Fool's Day". Released in 1985, "All Fool's Day" presents well-crafted songs, lush arrangements, and a commercial sensibility that hides every trace of the band's raucous beginnings. It represents, in many respects, what would later come to be known as "selling out". The album's sensibility is captured perfectly in first track "Just Like Fire Would", a jangly, mid-tempo number that sounds custom-made for MTV. Honestly though, I'm not sure if anyone ever cries "sell out" or not. That's because no one ever really brings up "All Fool's Day" (It's just that kind of record). For that matter, and from what I can tell, no one in the United States talks about The Saints much at all beyond "I'm Stranded" (and occasionally "Eternally Yours").<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6hf3ihu2XfI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
All that might change now. In a move that's as perfect as it is perverse, Bruce Springsteen has chosen "Just Like Fire Would" as the single for his latest release "High Hopes". I'm not sure what connection The Boss had with The Saints, but good on him for plucking this little gem from the Outback and bringing it to a wider American audience. And good on Chris Bailey who will presumably see a little cash and a little recognition beyond "I'm Stranded".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/hJ4a_tgJp4I/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/hJ4a_tgJp4I&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/hJ4a_tgJp4I&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<br />Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7049105713193956369.post-73049454421326323332014-01-27T19:21:00.000-05:002014-01-28T09:41:22.701-05:00Rosalita Revisted: Springsteen, Gender and Lydia Loveless<b>THE PARTY </b><br />
I'm late to the party. Again.<br />
<br />
Two parties, actually.<br />
<br />
<b>HOW LATE? </b><br />
A couple decades when it comes to the feminist critique of Bruce Springsteen. That may have peeked in 1992 with the publication of Pamela Moss's <a href="http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/490860?uid=3739840&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21103346245227" target="_blank"><i>Where Is the "Promised Land"?: Class and Gender in Bruce Springsteen's Rock Lyrics</i></a>.<br />
<br />
And Lydia Loveless? Late again, this time by a few years. While my tastemaker friends (who are legion) were enthusiastically extolling the virtues of 2011's <a href="https://www.bloodshotrecords.com/album/indestructible-machine" target="_blank"><i>Indestructible Machine</i></a>, I was still in the throws of a prolonged summer crush involving Kelly Clarkson's pop masterpiece <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5__nEUEB4c" target="_blank"><i>All I Ever Wanted </i></a>(which I'd been listening to more or less on infinite repeat for two years).<br />
<br />
It wasn't until last fall that I waded into what is arguably the shallow end of the Lydia Loveless pool. I was at <a href="http://www.lostweekendrecords.com/" target="_blank">Lost Weekend Records</a>, having recommitted to the idea of "supporting the scene" by purchasing local music from a local store. Truth be told, I don't follow music much anymore. It just takes too much time; or at least more time than I have. Plus, there's all that extra baggage that goes along with following music; the forming of opinions about music, the talking with people about music, the going to see bands playing music. The whole enterprise is pretty overwhelming.<br />
<br />
But I digress.<br />
<br />
<b>LYDIA LOVELESS </b><br />
I was at Lost Weekend Records ostensibly to procure the second Connections' LP <a href="http://www.midheaven.com/item/body-language-by-connections-lp" target="_blank"><i>Body Language </i></a>(featuring the buzzy earworm that is <i><a href="http://connectionsband.bandcamp.com/album/body-language" target="_blank">Jeni & Johnny</a></i>). While there, I saw Lydia Loveless's <i><a href="https://www.bloodshotrecords.com/album/boy-crazy-ep" target="_blank">Boy Crazy </a></i>EP perfectly positioned for an impulse buy, so I grabbed that too. The owner, Kyle (bless him), informed me (almost apologetically) that <i>Boy Crazy</i> was "a little poppier than her early stuff". Being that Kyle is one of the aforementioned tastemakers, I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd spent the last four years listening almost exclusively to Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, and Francoise Hardy and was, as such, well past judging anything based on the idea it might be too poppy.<br />
<br />
So I bought <i>Boy Crazy</i>. And it will surprise no one that it is indeed fantastic; fantastic for all the reasons likely spelled out by countless fans before me. But <i>Boy Crazy's</i> fantasticness wasn't the thing that stuck with me. I mean it did, because it is, but the place I kept getting hooked was on track three, <i>Lover's Spat</i>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/2NaqpQlmJvQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lover's Spat</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i> </div>
At first listen it's a pleasant, melodic number; trundling along somewhere between a mid-tempo rollick and full-on gallop (not actual musical terms). The first-person verses highlight a tumultuous relationship and segue into a soaring (anthemic?) chorus complete with wooooo-hooooos and drum rolls. The more I listened though, the more something nagged at me. <i>Lover's Spat</i> sounded weirdly familiar, like I'd heard it before. Then it dawned on me, it was the song's soaring, anthemic quality that I found so familiar. It reminded me of a Springsteen song - not a particular Springsteen song mind you - but the kind of song that 1973 era-Springsteen <i>could</i> have written. Apparently the countless hours I lost listening to "The Boss" during my formative years have made me hyper-sensitive to anything approximating his emotive, major key stylings.<br />
<br />
But structure was only the half of it. When I got around to reading the lyrics, I was gobsmacked. If <i>Lover's Spat</i> had the sonic flavor of a Springsteen song, it was lyrically and intellectually a counterattack on Springsteen's male-dominated worldview.<br />
<br />
<b>THE FEMINIST CRITIQUE</b><br />
The aformentioned Pamela Moss offers an enlightening and nuanced reflection on Springsteen's lyrics as they relate to class and gender. Her work points out (among other things) that Springsteen's world is a place where men seek out their destinies in the public sphere, while women dominate the private, more intimate spaces. In Springsteenland, this public place is one where male protagonists are depicted as great actors. They are engaged in a struggle, a struggle to prove their worth and achieve their dreams. Women, conversely, are relegated to private spaces where, frankly, they don't do much. Usually they're at home, on porches, or in bedrooms, though sometimes they put in appearance on the hood of a car or in a dark corner:<br />
<br />
(From <i>Rosalita</i>) <br />
<i> Little Gun's downtown in front of Woolworth's tryin' out his attitude on all the cats </i><br />
<i>Papa's on the corner, waitin' for the bus </i><br />
<i>Mama, she's home in the window, waitin' up for us</i><br />
<br />
This public/private dichotomy plays out to the point where a song like <i>Rosalita</i> (or <i>Thunder Road</i> for that matter) mostly boils down to a male protagonist relentlessing coaxing the object of his affection <i>out of her world</i> and into <i>his</i>:<br />
<br />
(From <i>Rosalita</i>) <br />
<i>We're gonna play some pool, skip some school </i><br />
<i>Act real cool, stay out all night, it's gonna feel alright </i><br />
<i>So Rosie, come out tonight, little baby, come out tonight</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/XXWVSussrt0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rosalita</span></i></div>
<br />
And from Springsteen's perspective that's more or less it. Guys primp and strut in public. They "flash guitars just like switchblades", they "meet 'neath that giant Exxon sign", they race, run, holler, and hoot. The night's on fire and filled with the machismo of countless Promised Land seeking man-children. It's romantic, an opera even - or ballet or waltz - depending on which Springsteen song you listen to.<br />
<br />
And the women? Well, they're expected to follow their man. Why is never exactly explained. It's simply presumed that every Promised Land seeking man-child needs a good woman in tow as he follows his dream.<br />
<br />
Which is another feature of Springsteen's Springsteenland. Men are the ones with the dreams and agency. They're the actors and the orchestrators. It's their pilgrimage. Sure, sometimes they're misunderstood ("<i>I know your Daddy, he don't like me, cause I play in a rock and roll band</i>") and sometimes life is hard, but the men in Springsteen's songs have a plan, even if it's sometimes a plan as flimsy as a record deal or as vague as "<i>pulling outta here to win</i>":<br />
<br />
(From <i>Rosalita</i>)<br />
<i>Oh, your daddy says he knows that I don't have any money </i><br />
<i>Well, tell him this is his last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance </i><br />
<i>'Cause a record company, Rosie, just gave me a big advance </i><br />
<br />
There you go. Baby, stick with me. The band's gonna make it! I promise!<br />
<br />
It's all a very interesting perspective, but one that's hopelessly one-sided and perhaps a bit immature. Which is why <i>Lover's Spat</i> comes off as so welcome and so refreshing.<br />
<br />
First, let's consider what all this night-out in-the-streets bravado looks like from the female perspective:<br />
<br />
(From <i>Lover's Spat</i>)<br />
<i>So don't go runnin' round naked by the side of the road</i><br />
<i>Honey you look ridiculous</i><br />
<i>With that cut on your eye and your dick hangin' out</i><br />
<i>Why don't you care about us?</i><br />
<br />
One can only imagine how this particular Promised Land seeking man-child came to be naked at the side of the road, but realistically the reason is neither here nor there. The point is there's not a particularly wide gulf between the male-dominated nocturnes portrayed in songs like <i>Jungleland</i> or <i>Thunder Road</i> and the drunken douchebaggery of countless young men who've consumed countless Natty Lights. Furthermore, it's a gulf we ought to recognize, not romanticize.<br />
<br />
And regarding who's got a plan, consider this:<br />
<br />
(From <i>Lover's Spat</i>) <br />
<i>I'm from Milwaukee originally, but now I go to OSU</i><br />
<i>I'll be rich when I get my business degree</i><br />
<i>And I'll take good care of you</i><br />
<br />
So imagine a young couple; the male is an inveterate band dood and the female is a business major. Now fast-forward 10 years. Given the unlikely event these two are still together, ask yourself "Who's taking care of whom?<br />
<br />
And back to that dichotomy between public space and private space, Loveless takes a very different tack. Rather than viewing private spaces as something to avoid (or be coaxed out of), Loveless sees them as a destination; the place where things actually happen. <i>Lover's Spat</i> abounds with admonitions to "come home with me tonight", "stay for dinner" and "hide in my closet". Not that these private spaces are a bed of roses. <i>Lover's Spat</i> is pretty forthright in recognizing the violence that can often go hand in hand with intimacy. But at least she's not hawking some romanticized view of private space or one-sided notion of relationship dynamics.<br />
<br />
Ultimately though, this isn't an either or question. The world is big enough for Bruce Springsteen and Lydia Loveless. The point comes with realizing there's usually a counter-narrative to the dominant view. The fact is I was listening to a lot of Springsteen while I wrote this, and as one-sided and romanticized as many of his songs are, I wouldn't trade them for the world. The trick is to remember that all those heroic first-person protagonists might not be the most reliable narrators. And while Mary may indeed dance across the porch like a vision, there's a good chance she was put on this earth for something more than that. <br />
<br />
<b>SO WHERE'S THE PARTY NOW?</b><br />
Honestly, I'm the last person to ask. I do know I'm officially on the Lydia Loveless bandwagon (even if I'm a bit late and pointed in the wrong direction). I've got <i>Indestructible Machine</i> on backorder and I'm looking forward to the February release of <a href="https://www.bloodshotrecords.com/album/somewhere-else-lp" target="_blank"><i>Somewhere Else</i></a>. And while I've seen Bruce Springsteen more times than Lydia Loveless (2-0 if your counting) I'm hoping to at least even the score in 2014!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeff Regensburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717266252865808911noreply@blogger.com0