So three weeks ago my oldest sister came from Brussels to DC, and then two weeks ago my friend JR had his friend in town from Brussels, and from Sunday until Tuesday president Bush has been in Brussels. Three weeks of Brussels in my life…more than any other time. I have to take note of something like this because it doesn’t happen often! I wonder if there if it will be 4 weeks of Brussels! If you want an extreme close-up of Brussels, check out this animation!

For the hell of it, I am going to repost my “Star of Brussels” rendering :-)

I haven’t posted anything on here in a lil bit. As usual, I’ve been too bizzy too blog, but I hope that I have some more time this week to write up my thoughts.

I went with two groups of friends, the DC Guerrilla Poetry Insurgency and the Rhythm Workers Union, to an antique book store in southwestern Virginia for a poetry & drumming weekend retreat. While I love the form of music known as Drum & Bass, I am not a huge fan drumming on a djembe. As a dancer, I prefer the music to have more substance than a mere 4 count, which tribal drumming is based on. I like to have at least an 8 count to dance to. Tribal drumming in its essence is simply too primitive for my tastes, yet I still learned the basics of drumming over the weekend. I also wrote and performed some of my poetry. I felt I was able to practice performing my poetry with a very receptive audience. Although I don’t have my freestyle down yet, I really really want to work on that (along with breakdancing).

I had one major epiphany while in the antique bookstore over the weekend. It was that no matter how much time I spend learning, I would never reach a knowledge ceiling. I mean it was absolutely surreal partying around thousands of people’s life work. I felt like Dr. Faustus in an infinite library of knowledge. I went and snooped around for hours and hours discovering so much. Antique Roadshow would have a heyday in this place!

I ended up taking home a 1969 U.S. Air Force Manual on Survival. It shows what fruits, berries, and grasses one can eat as well as how to create a sextant to track your location. Since Bush was reselected, I’ve taken up an odd survivalist mentality, and I feel this book adds a nice dynamic to my emergency information resources.

In the end, I felt like I am closer to a lot of people I worked with in the planning of and execution of the counter-inaugural activities. I look forward to working with them all in future endeavors around the DC area, and hopefully go back to the bookstore for another retreat.

MAJESTY THE KING OF THE BELGIANS, THE PRESIDENT OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC, HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF DENMARK, THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA, THE PRESIDENT OF THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC, HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF SPAIN, THE PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, THE PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA, HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE GRAND DUKE OF LUXEMBOURG, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY, THE PRESIDENT OF MALTA, HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF THE NETHERLANDS, THE FEDERAL PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND, THE PRESIDENT OF THE PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA, THE PRESIDENT OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF SWEDEN, HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND,

DRAWING INSPIRATION from the cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe, from which have developed the universal values of the inviolable and inalienable rights of the human person, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law,

BELIEVING that Europe, reunited after bitter experiences, intends to continue along the path of civilisation, progress and prosperity, for the good of all its inhabitants, including the weakest and most deprived; that it wishes to remain a continent open to culture, learning and social progress; and that it wishes to deepen the democratic and transparent nature of its public life, and to strive for peace, justice and solidarity throughout the world,

CONVINCED that, while remaining proud of their own national identities and history, the peoples of Europe are determined to transcend their former divisions and, united ever more closely, to forge a common destiny,

CONVINCED that, thus ‘United in diversity’, Europe offers them the best chance of pursuing, with due regard for the rights of each individual and in awareness of their responsibilities towards future generations and the Earth, the great venture which makes of it a special area of human hope,

DETERMINED to continue the work accomplished within the framework of the Treaties establishing the European Communities and the Treaty on European Union, by ensuring the continuity of the Community acquis,

GRATEFUL to the members of the European Convention for having prepared the draft of this Constitution on behalf of the citizens and States of Europe,

I decided to learn about the E.U. today.

Last week my sister flew to DC last week from Brussels for an interview for a fellowship at the Center for the Advanced Study of the Visual Arts (I gave her my “Brussels #5” rendering). This week’s guest from Brussels turned out to work for a German Green Party representative in the E.U. Parliament. I found out that in Germany, the Green Party got 13% of the popular vote! He ended up showing me the website and a few of the their ads they used in Berlin. I decided to rip off their design that I knew I could (multi)replicate. In German it says “YOU DECIDE !- GIVE CLONING A CHANCE” I think I can add a good slogan of my own. Nonetheless, big ups to a global political party.

I hope to get a good verse or two in from most religions… This one I found randomly in an Adbusters article:

Look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18

Anyways I am rendering a custom image for someone. Its of the Pearl River Delta in China. For the first rendering, I altered the colors around in the source satellite image. Its a bit colorful, so I am not sure how well it will be liked.

Click here to view the final map: “Lady Liberty on a quilt of the Pearl River Delta”