That's Gneiss! #141 ~ Candy for the ears and eyes
Also: Flying snakes and greatly anticipated cartoons
Every week when Sunday rolls around, I’m happy to sit down and write this newsletter. Some weeks it flows easily, others not. Some weeks I spend time writing it in my head before I sit down, others not. Writing has always been that way for me. Years ago I wrote monthly articles for a site called subter.com. I seemed to work on a similar creative schedule - one month my ideas would flow, and the next I would struggle (I always managed). Today is one of those days where I’ve been writing in my head for hours.
I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to bother you with all of the crap I was going to write about.
Have you ever heard of lithophones?
Or I should say, have you ever heard a lithopone?
Now is as good a time as any to start! I love this cheerful tune.
Lithophones are musical instruments made of stone. They can take a variety of forms from a constructed instrument like the one above, to still being in their original spot in nature. Primitive rock gongs were likely some of the first musical instruments played by prehistoric humans.
Here’s a more recent example of a gong rocks being played in Karnataka, India.
Lithophones can be played with different techniques - it doesn’t always have to be pounding!
I hope you have enjoyed today’s rock music interlude. Believe me, it’s much better than the ramblings in my mind today.
In gardening news, our mystery plant has revealed itself to be a Calla lily! It turns out they come in a variety of colors, and I’ve spotted a couple more on my walks with Rowland like these bright pink ones.
Tidbits
Insane after coronavirus? - Patricia Lockwood muses over her surreal experience while ill with Covid-19
My Patient Caught Covid-19 Twice - implications for herd immunity…
US Citizenship and Immigration Services could stop running by end of summer without bailout - thank goodness Michael got his renewed green card already
It’s here at last! NEW STUFF from Gary Larson of The Far Side
A reminder that DMC offers hundreds of free embroidery and cross stitch patterns on their website. Look at these cute circus snakes!
Good news - you DON’T have to buy toilet paper from Costco or your local cleared out grocery store - Who Gives a Crap has got you covered!
Making: I have really been enjoying straight ink drawings this week. Thanks to a subscriber of this newsletter, I found Amy Maricle on Instagram, and on Friday night I watched her weekly class. It was a very busy week at work, and I really appreciated just slowing down and drawing for a while. I did this!
Recently eaten: cold beans on toast for breakfast. Yum!
Reading: Picking away at Neuromancer, and the latest issue of UPPERCASE magazine - all about collage!
Eye Candy Corner
The other day I sent out a discussion thread post asking for folks to share some of their favorite artist accounts. Checking out the artistic creations of others really helps me find balance when I catch myself doomscrolling through Twitter or the news. If I’m going to be online, looking at art is a much better use of that time.
Anyhow, I got an excellent response to the Eye Candy post! I still haven’t made it through all of the comments (admission - I’m saving them for when I start to really feel horrible). Thank you to everyone who shared something, and it’s not too late for YOU to head over and share your favorites.
With all of this great content, I’ve decided to start a new, weekly feature in this newsletter - Eye Candy Corner. I’ll highlight a couple of the great accounts that have been shared on that thread each week. Here we go…
If you like design and color, then this is the account for you. Each post is a scene from a movie along with a strip of 10 colors found in the scene. I can’t stop scrolling back to older posts to see which movies they’ve done! Whether you’re a movie buff or not you’ll appreciate the concept played out in each post. I find myself looking at each scene closely to try and find each color. It’s not always easy to do!
Here’s something totally different. Lisa creates art with bold colors and shapes, and she often uses text in her images. My first knowledge of Lisa was from an advertisement I kept seeing online, but it wasn’t until now that I took a look at her work. I love the cheerful and inspiring pieces she creates.
Video of the Week
I got a good chuckle from this (and her other misheard music videos).
Question of the Week
If you feel like answering the question, hit reply to this email. Answers will be shared in next week’s newsletter - anonymously. Don’t be shy! General public commenting is available too at the end of this post.
What’s your favorite hot weather meal?
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Last week I asked: How are you keeping sane in this mad, mad, mad, mad world? Music? Comics? Art? Books? Movies?
Keeping sane I am not, sharing your gripes about stupid pandemic people I am - but your Blondie video sent me down deep into the rabbit hole. That was a fun adventure into the past. Thanks. :)
Your question immediately had me questioning whether I *am* sane--the noise of the neighborhood is hard to deal with, and construction is going to ruin my hammock plans for the summer. But still: I cleaned my studio up a bit yesterday, so I'm circling a return to creative output, getting over the long spell that made everything seem so useless. Still, artistic composition is happening in a very physical way as I work on my garden. It's gratifying to see how my hard work has resulted in a literal paradise--etymologically, paradise is equivalent to garden in Persian and Arabic. Growing food for bugs, birds, and us is an act of concerted optimism.
And I've been using the last of our base liquors to make elaborate cocktails--cocktails almost always help, don't they?
all of the above!!! for music, i've been swinging wildly between my favorite new/old band, WITCH, and lots of rage against the machine. i won't lie, tapping into my angry feelings is sometimes the only thing keeping me from digging a hole to lie down in. drawing lots of comics, listening to lectures by genesis breyer p-orridge, reading the giant stack of books beside my bed, and watching movies on the youtube channel New Castle After Dark. another way i soothe myself during difficult times is doing some sort of repetitive art or craft. sometimes it's english paper piecing, sometimes embroidery, lately lots and lots of collage and sashiko.
i have found one comrade at work, too. another person who sees what i see, is as shocked and dismayed by the response, and aware of the racist undertones (she is also a person of color!). we check in on each other throughout the day, and send each other text messages like "you got this!" and "i support you!" it is incredibly helpful. i do not think i would be able to come in here every day without her. that is helping.
oh! and i started writing letters again. real letters. weird little ones, and long ones, and some are that are just doodles on a postcard.
I read your Zine, lots of books. Podcasts and music. Garden, mountain hikes and building my tiny house. Honestly I was not well suited for Pre CVD19 life really. So far I'm doing what I would of been doing anyways, and its hard not to feel somewhat guilty. "Make art not friends."- Sturgill Simpson
Current Temperature: 65.1 F (18.4 C)
Current Humidity: 63%
Wind (max gust): 9.2 mph
Precipitation: 0.04 in