jennimi

I have been meaning to post this fehevah but the last couple of weeks have been crazy with the cheese whiz. Hat tip to my Brother in Boondocksfandomness who peeped me to the planned release of season 2 on dvd just around the birthday of a certain kickass (admittedly sporadic) online drizzler of pop cultcha and commentary… (hmmm… June 10th now what sign are we in in June again…..??????). My dog will be quite pleased with the news. He LOVES Riley.

What do I adore about Boondocks? Am I ready to jettison my libraryish “better watch what I say, better keep boring everyone with definitions of ‘neutrality’” which are really self-shushing? Can I say very few brave souls are ACTUALLY keeping the discussion of race in America going honestly and bravely and McGruder and Co. get to be in that group (temper or no)? It’s not all about race. It’s about life. If you don’t have time to view dozens of Boondocks eppys and are not familiar with the show (based, of course, on his print comic about the trials and tribulations of moving one’s grandkids out of the “hood” to the “burbs”), at least find an episode called “Return of the King.” I promise you will never ever see BET the same way again.

Other stuff not related to the geniusness of Boondocks but that doesn’t warrant (code for I don’t have time to write) full articles:

• Feelin’ way down deep badly for anyone bereft of a ticket for Friday’s Explosions in the Sky show at the Tralf. This album got me through some SERIOUS shit. And I do expect to find a way to thank yonder melancholies whether by smiling from first row or sneaking backstage. (code for: our tickets are not up for grabs).

• Did some consulting work organizing a friend’s (pretty disorganized) art collection over the weekend. Or shall we say, began that process. Exhausted. Did you know it’s really hard for folks to watch someone dig around in their close to the heart stuff? An LIS professor once said we librarians are part counselor and though I am of the mindset that counselors possess specialized degrees for which they worked hard, I was ready with hugs, water runs, an ear (nervous as the ear and mouth were, my work organizing the artist’s work was and IS important to me…)

• My advice, hard won, as I am a work in progress and so is my approach to organizing: develop a preliminary plan ahead of time (ours was VERY simple) depending on the needs of your client and their expectations for the collection, require some alone time with the collection, and come together to revisit how first stages are going etc. I could get very detailed about this but the main point I want to make is keep the conversation going, and don’t let anyone get away with “no no it’s fine.” Most of my payment is learning how to do this better. So dear client, tell me honestly, and nicely, how’d I do, and why did you put that piece in that pile instead? Your critique is the red pen of professors in a way. By the way, they say never use red pen to grade, edit, etc. and I agree. (no citation people, remember, this isn’t a library/special collections post. It’s a post about Boondocks coming soon. Hee.)

• And folks if you play your cards right, you might get to spend hours, maybe even days, with a spectacular collection. The work I did, which by its nature and our time (and budget) constraints, demanded fast decisions (portfolio, question mark, repurpose, gift (lucky ducks)), but VIP’d me into a different world. One of color and imagination and watching someone’s process and imagery develop over a decade ahead of its time. I don’t think I’ve ever even spent 5 hours with Annie’s work other than in books. The Brooklyn Museum installation was magnificent but rushed. Special collections, are you calling jennimi? Woulda been nice to phone me up a little EARLIER!!!!!!! Hee.

  Here is where I admit I sneaked a collection development post in, and also to put on the record “art” is my word for this collection, created so beautifully and passionately by a person who rejects the word art. Subject change:

• Aye, the aphids are BACK, and I just cannot seem to rid myself of them since that basil or catnip I bought back in like 1999. Yes that’s how long I have fought these colonizing destructive malevolent crawlers and queens…. I have but three plants left: an african violet that seems immune (oops, jinx), a jade (that has something else!) I’ve had for more than a decade, and catnip I grow for pals with cats who can’t hide the tasty leaves from their agile smarties. Over the years, I have tried everything! Obviously the catnip will have to go if I can’t find a non-toxic solution. So, open to ideas which may have worked for others.

• I think I’ll discuss my own deselection project later. QUITE the journey for me. Quite.

• Finally, suddenly getting lots of requests to use my photos on various web sites etc. (from Flickrers). Somewhere in a giant board room of The Man, The Man, The Man and their foreign subsidiary, The Man (my usual word for this is borg, but that doesn’t quite do it either, any new odeas besides “The Man”?), someone brought up the idea “hey, why pay anyone for any image when we can just grab them off flickr and other sites?” I thought I was using a non-commercial/attrib stipulation on my Creative Commons choice for my photos by default, but I may have to check for some kind of reset that may have occurred. In any case that means no “for profit” use of my photos, and they need to be attributed to me. That can happen a few ways and usually is workable (linkback, “jennimi”, etc.). The Brooklyn Botanic Garden wanted to use a photo for their annual report. I am still waiting for my copy of the report, my only request for the photo’s use.

• I started interacting with Flickr eons ago as a more efficient way to share my photos with friends and family. Ah those were the days, the simple interface, the small contacts list, the Fridays procrastinating from LIS homework! When I inquire as to status of the company “designing the web site” I get this amorphous “well see we’re actually doing half pro bono for a larger company and have no “extras budget” and well you would certainly not mind supporting such a good cause as literacy for children, right?” Going for my ego and saying it’s a kick ass photo works better for me than appealing to my superego right now BTW, but that’s a whole WHOLE post. In all cases I have said yes, or acquiesced. But, I’m gonna be thinking about this some more. Anyone notice any of the KICK ASS writing happening on your shows since the strike ended and writers at least feel better about their compensation? I’ll say it again. Interesting times.

• And if you stuck by me this far not only are you awesome, as admittedly I have not been so good as to give all my friends and faves their due attention of late, a reminder our beloved Battlestar Galactica begins its final season on Friday at 10 on sci-fi channel, though please do check your local times, I’m Eastern. It’s gonna be a wild ride this season.