Paul 82?

Paul 82?, originally uploaded by Paul Hehn.

It's a Crazy, Crazy World We Live In

Thanks to my pal, Salsa, for pointing me to this not-too-long and fascinating article about the politics and money behind the "there ain't no global warming, and even if there was it's just nature, pal!" crowd.

Going Places

This afternoon I went on a walk through the neighborhood (as usual).  Although it was cold, it was sunny.  I wish I'd left earlier -- I only ended up with about forty minutes of sunset light.

Five or six blocks from here is a new building/garage that will soon house a grocery store, with condos on the top floor and parking in between.  I've been in the parking garage before, when they'd just finished it.  I'd also been in the first floor -- soon to be Whole Foods, I'm told -- one day while I was walking by the entrance was open, so I went in and took photos like this:

Today I walked over there and went on up into the parking garage, which is open, although you get the sense it's not quite open to everyone.  I took photos like this:

A scruffy construction dude in a red li'l truck came driving up through the garage, and I knew he was going to confront me.  Right around the same time, I'd heard a noise in a stray garbage can as I'd walked by.  I looked in to see a rat.  I turned on the flash, poked the camera into the can and snapped a shot.

When I turned around the guy was right there, saying "so...taking pictures, huh?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Whaddya taking pictures of?"

"The sunset.  The church."

"What for?"

"Just for fun.  I don't mean to cause any problem."

There was an awkward pause.  I guess he was trying to decide whether I should be kicked off the property.

I cheerfully changed the subject, pointing to the garbage can and saying, "there's a rat in there."

"A live one?" he asked, with a lot more interest than he'd shown about my taking photos.

"Oh, yeah."

He peeked in the can and so did I, but the rat wasn't visible and wasn't moving, so the guy was skeptical.  I said, "I think I have a photo of it.  Let's see."

He comfortably leaned over to view the camera screen with me.  Sure enough:

Dude was impressed.  But he then remembered the reason he met me.  He clearly didn't know what to say, so I helped him out with, "would you like me to leave?"

"Uh...well..."

"I don't mind.  It's not as if I want to give you any grief on a Friday night."

"Well... uh... just don't use the elevator."

"No problem."

Zombie Trailer

Some of Iris's friends, filming a zombie movie. That's Iris, in zombie make-up and her famous "dragging foot" routine.


Oh, and here's Iris's Flickr page.

Go figure.

Christmas Cactus

We recently got this christmas cactus from Mom and Dad.  Planted in 1928, it was a gift from Winnie Edmunds, called "Grandma E." She was a neighbor of ours in Wilsonville, Oregon in the early 1970s.

Grandma E was the widow of Fred Edmunds, and they started Edmunds Roses. She has a rose named after her, a tea rose called rosa wini edmunds.  I remember seeing one up at Washington Park.  There is a photo of one (from San Jose) here.

The year this cactus was planted, Calvin Coolidge was the president.

Iris Hehn's Paint Job, Part 1

The Dictionary of American History

My pal Fritz Holznagel alerted to me to this delightful find online.

Here's a screenshot:

Fritz found his, then I searched for mine and got the above result.

Years ago we both wrote several entries for The Dictionary of American History, a ten-volume reference work published by Charles Scribner's Sons.  It was an interesting job, although toward then end things got a little crazy because the final edits were happening during the summer when we were in and out of town on vacation.

Anyway, up the street at the local county library they have a set.  I went in to see it one time, just to look up my own name.  It looked pretty official.

Now you can buy them, for petessakes, as if someone would pay up to $9 for an encyclopedia entry.

Self-indulgent Fun

Self-indulgent Fun, originally uploaded by Paul Hehn.

Performance Art, 2009 Version

If you can stomach the first couple of minutes, it gets good after he chokes up the first time.


He goes on with some bizarre metaphor that our nation has been at the "wrong party." 
Typically, in this metaphor it is NOT YOUR FAULT -- you were tricked into going to this party!
He longs for a "simpler" time, which presumably means when non-whites, non-straights,
non-cripples and non-males knew that staying quiet and unseen was a virtuous
and rewarding career.


And everyone had more cavities and the infant mortality rate was higher 
and you could put any old poison into the river any old time you wanted to 
and shoot someone in the belly if they crossed your property line
and punch them in the face if they were wearing a smile you didn't like.

Robot Stencil

Robot Stencil, originally uploaded by Paul Hehn.

By Iris.

Crying over spilled flour.

"After Hours" at Linfield College

"After Hours" at Linfield College, originally uploaded by lyle trial.

Lyle's postcard for an upcoming show with other McMenamins artists.