i've been thinking a lot lately about being "in the moment." this is a theme that appears to me both as i am pursuing artistic projects and in the rest of my life. when are we really focused? is it possible to truly experience a moment while excluding thoughts of the past, future, or even the present as it is not applicable to us in our present action? how can certain influences (a particular music, an activity designed to ground a person) help create a sense of increased concentration?

i've been thinking a lot lately about being "in the moment." this is a theme that appears to me both as i am pursuing artistic projects and in the rest of my life. when are we really focused? is it possible to truly experience a moment while excluding thoughts of the past, future, or even the present as it is not applicable to us in our present action? how can certain influences (a particular music, an activity designed to ground a person) help create a sense of increased concentration?

today the us supreme court denied a california man's suit to remove "under god" from the pledge of allegiance. it invokes an interesting and potentially extremely emotional issue of the separation of church and state (or lack thereof) currently in the us, so i was quite dissapointed that the court ruled on a technicality. they found that he does not have the legal grounds to sue on behalf of his daughter. so the court begged off taking a real decision and wrote it off as a civil custody matter. rather wimpy i feel. but it beats a decision enacted with finality which denies the girl's right not to say "under god."

went to the manggha center today, a museum of japanese art and culture. intriguing displays of art, historical information, and cultural artifacts. also fascinating to me that such a collection is in krakow. am captivated by the founder's idea that a polish audience needs to experience japanese art. i mean really, there is a need need to study the intricacies of another culture to truly understand one's own.

found a particularly resonant idea about travel. kent nerburg writes,

"that is why we need to travel- if we don't offer ourselves to the unknown, our senses dull. our world becomes small and we lose our sense of wonder. our eyes don't lift to the horizon, our ears don't hear the sounds around us. the edge is off our experience and we pass our days in a routine that is both comfortable and limiting. we wake up one day to find we have lost our dreams to protect our days."

james de la vega is an artist from east harlem. he has recently been charged with making graffiti & posessing graffiti instruments. or saying things like "beauty magazines make my girlfriend feel ugly." for chalk pictures representing how people can feel trapped in society. and the jusge won't accept a settlement that doesn't include jail time.
excerpt from the nytimes article:

Robert T. Johnson, the district attorney, would not comment on the case except to say: "Our attitude towards graffiti is that our community has asked us to eliminate it. We find it offensive that people come here and treat our walls as their canvas."

Sandra Palomino, who runs a nonprofit housing group in East Harlem, said she did not think the neighborhood saw Mr. De La Vega's work in that category. "He is a hugely successful muralist and an icon in East Harlem," she said. "Kids with artistic ambitions look to him for inspiration. And for adults, he makes us laugh and think."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/nyregion/13art.html?8hpib

i guess the question i have is this: if artists don't make us think, if they don't remind us we're human, or help us laugh, or show us our world and ourselves in a different way, who's going to?

am in italy. much more of a cultural difference than i'd imagined (and yes, i was expecting one of some significance...) it's interesting to go to the post office where they sometimes are closed during posted hours, or say they are open but no one is working, or do not actually have stamps... very casual. luckily, i do not have mail that's pressing, so i can enjoy the more relaxed nature of things. am getting used to not really being punctual, taking busses when they come as opposed to depending on a "schedule", etc. these things can be quite relaxing. was supposed to meet someone at five, brought a book so it would not be a prob that we actually got together at 6:20. am accomodating.
also the concept of public/private space is very different- must say that sometimes i enjoy american anonymity. but who can argue with being able to meet and chat with people anywhere and everywhere? and in general people tend to be accepting of my italian. my sole frustrations come when people lack the patience to hear my developing italain and prefer their own halting english- if you can wait 20 minutes for a bus please wait 2 for me to fix my verb tenses! anyway, am enjoying/learning/reflecting all those things one does...