Triskaidekaphilia by Merrick Monroe

2012/01/09
by Merrick
2 Comments

Breaking down the Years Old and New

It has officially been 2012 for nine days now, so I figured if I want to get in on this “talking about how it’s the New Year” thing I better do so before too long. To kick things off I love this writeup of 2011 my friend Dave the Great sent out just before New Year’s Eve. I felt it was the most accurate summary of the year outside of a Top 10 list…

This year, we just don’t know what 2012 will be like, and 2011 was such a massively weird year that I think Hunter S. Thompson’s spirit was actually running things most of the time (and thus is one step closer to sainthood, right?).

So, what the hell, 2011? What was all that about? Osama gets shot, but so does a sitting US Congresswoman? All our Twitter icons were turned green for some reason that involved the Middle East being the site of political unrest (rare in the region, I am told)? Pretty much everything that can be protested gets protested using tents, various police departments learn about something called “video capable cell phones” and “YouTube,” and Congress seems determined to break below that 9% approval floor somehow (keep at it guys, I know you can hit 7% before next week!). Politically, 2011 was just plain weird.

Then TV gets REALLY GOOD for a while, and Sci-Fi cancels Eureka (and cancels the name “Sci-Fi”) and Sara Palin gets a show on the (no, really) Learning Channel? Donald Trump is taken seriously by … anybody? The world was supposed to end, didn’t, and was supposed to end again (may have. I am often last to know about these things). A couple inbred rich people in England married each other, and the world cared A WHOLE LOT for some reason. Socially, 2011 was, objectively speaking, weird.

And sex! Yay, sex! It turns out, our military did not suddenly implode in a sweaty, hairy orgy of guys mainly lubricated using camoflage greasepaint, but they totally could now if they wanted to. And Newt Gingrich’s penis, which we haven’t heard from since the mid-1990s, is back in the news (mainly because it’s not always in his pants). Florida, in an attempt to stop people from fucking horses, accidentally makes all sex illegal (unless it is with plants, robots or microbial life forms). HIV vaccines are finally in human testing (the hell with flying cars, THIS IS THE FUTURE!), and the state of NY sinks into the ocean shortly after legalizing same-sex marriage. And I think a guy in Washington state got caught fucking a horse again (note for friends living in WA: that is considered “weird” everywhere else but WA).

So, yeah. This was a weird year. Dr. Gonzo would approve, or at least would have tossed in some drugged monkeys and armed chickens just to help liven things up. (note: 2011 saw the end of some drug experiments on monkeys and the end of legally giving roosters knives and making them fight in Texas. So again, SAINTHOOD FOR THOMPSON!).

“What the hell, 2011″ indeed. It was a long year, a hard year, a fun year, and I’m glad to be on the on the other side of it. I learned a lot about myself, got closer to a lot of very awesome people, and set a lot of pokers in the fire that I hope to pull out in 2012 (*stab*stab*stab*). Should be an interesting year, and I mean that in the best possible way! (Why wouldn’t someone want to live in interesting times, anyway?)

To ring in 2012, Kaebel and I got together with friends and went to the Vespertine Winter Ball, which was all white and silver themed (but it was also a goth event, so black attire was quite acceptable too). We are a lovely bunch of terrible creatures, no? <3

Oh, yeah, and my hair is white now. Heh! More on that soon. :)

My goals for 2011 were more photography (did that!), more self portraits (eh…), more modeling (less, actually), more jewelry & fashion design (yep!), more openness (I’d like to think I accomplished this, though I know I’m still a mystery to most), and more dancing (definitely did that one!). I’m going to count that as an overall success. But what awaits me in 2012? Hmm.

resolution: early 15c., “a breaking into parts,” from L. resolutionem (nom. resolutio) “process of reducing things into simpler forms,” from pp. stem of resolvere “loosen” (see resolve). Originally sense of “solving” (as of mathematical problems) first recorded 1540s, that of “holding firmly” (in resolute) 1530s, and that of “decision or expression of a meeting” is from c.1600.

Travel More. I’ve already got a head start on this, planning to go to SXSW Interactive and Emerald City Comicon… and that’s just in March! Where else can I get to this year? I have friends in San Francisco and L.A. that I’ve been promising to visit for ages…

Be Organized. I love to organize, but I’m not always so great at staying organized. Kaebel and I are spending the month of January getting the living space in tip-top shape, laying the groundwork for a tidy rest of the year.

Shop Local. Last summer I began a torrid love affair with the Portland Farmer’s Market, and while it has waned in the Winter months my love for locally grown food and handmade goods stays warm. And working at a small, non-chain retailer (Bridge City Comics represent!) has really taught of using your money to support and strengthen the local economy.

Take Care of Myself. Last year I learned how effective massage and acupuncture are for repair of the Merrick; I imagine they’d be just as good for regular care and maintenance. Even dance classes did a lot to help my body feel healthier and more internally organized. Moar, I say!\

…and still more dancing, more photography, more openness. Yes yes yes! Last year’s goals were so well met and I can’t forget them just because the date has changed. Onward and upward! Did you notice I left “more modeling” off that list? It’s not because I want to stop modeling. Truth is, I think I got what I needed out of my modeling experiences, and I want to focus on evolving who it made me. Though I will still happily step in front of a camera… and it looks like I will not be wont for opportunities to do so this year!

2011/12/08
by Merrick
0 comments

Tomorrow Night: Raqs Oubliettes

I recently discovered a new belly dance night here in Portland called Raqs Oubliettes and, yeah, it’s pretty awesome. The show is produced by Sushila (who is also a talented dancer), and held the second Friday of each month at the Lovecraft. The performances all move around a central theme, but the styles of dance and music vary wildly. And as one might infer from both the event’s name (which translates loosely to “dungeon of dance”) and venue (Portland’s only horror-themed bar and tea house), the performances all have a distinctly gothic bent. Sold.

Sushila and Tabra Bay perform the opening ritual

Elise, one of my favourite local dancers

I attended the last show, titled “Lost in the Woods”, and what a truly was a magical, creative and talent-filled evening it was! I tried to edit my photos of the night in a way that lends well to the overall romance of Raqs Oubliettes. Admittedly, I don’t feel my photographs from the evening do anyone’s talent justice; the lighting was—as expected—a bit of a challenge. What makes for good ambiance doesn’t make for easy photography! Plus it was crowded, which is awesome in terms of door sales but makes moving around difficult (but now I know where to sit for the best view).

performer Karolina had great... "props"

fusion belly dancer Grace Constantine, from Deviant Dance

The next performance is tomorrow night, and you can get a full list of the performers on the official Raqs Oubliettes Facebook page. I promise you it really doesn’t matter who’s performing… I found everyone from the last show quite inspiring, both in skill and concept of their performances. The door is a mere $5, but I recommend bringing some extra cash… Lovecraft has some great signature horror-themed cocktails, plus you’ll want to tip your favourite dancer! Door is at 9:30, but expect to stay after midnight. And if you stay after the performances, I guarantee you’ll be inspired to get your own dark dance on!

Everyone dances during the Tip Song!

Sushila Battagione

2011/12/07
by Merrick
0 comments

Vespertine Ball: Horns (Updated!)

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2011/12/07
by Merrick
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Goodnight, Jack

I’ve had a few pets die in the course of maintaining this blog. I don’t know why I don’t talk about it; I am not really one for mourning, or crying, or emotional things like that. But I was deeply saddened to hear yesterday that my old friend Jack passed away that morning, due to cancer. He was one of my favourite photographic subjects (such a handsome boy!) so I felt a little photo memorial was in order.

Jack wasn’t “my” cat, not in the sense that you can never really own a cat but because he and his friend Tsukiko came as part of the package of living with my ex. But for the four years we lived together, he was my best buddy. When the ex and I split he said something about being okay if I wanted to take Jack with me, but we both knew separating he and Tsukiko, who he’d been with since a kitten, would be impossible.

He was a very handsome black cat—I’m picky about the aesthetics of the cats I like and Jack was a winner. He had a silly squat build and a broad face and chest, much like a British short hair, but all the charm of your classic black cat. I loved his ridiculously wide nose and his huge gold eyes.

Here’s a video I took of Jack back in 2007. Anytime you scritched about his tale, it triggered compulsive licking. Adorable warning! And as you can tell, he was never camera shy.

Goodbye, my fat little black Jack. You were such a good boy.

2011/11/10
by Merrick
1 Comment

Revisiting Occupy Portland, and Kim Boekbinder’s “Occupy Everywhere”

During Kim Boekbinder’s recent concert tour stop here in Portland, she spent an afternoon checking out the Occupy Portland camp. Kim’s been writing about the Occupy Everywhere movement for alt-culture online magazine Coilhouse, and asked me to provide pictures from the Occupy Portland camp. I encourage you to read her full post, Occupy Everywhere: The West Coast, and to look back on her entire series. I wanted to respond with my own thoughts on how Occupy Portland has been progressing (or not), as well as show you pictures not used in her article.

Let’s start with the positive. Portland’s Occupation has some promising things going for it. While the city’s unemployment rate and multiple-job working class are the butt of many jokes, they also give us a bevy of smart people with time on their hands… time they are hopefully putting to good use aiding the Occupy Everywhere movement. It’s not only the city government and unemployed that has shown support. In the photo above, respected local sculptor Jim Gion begins a bust of a young activist. Art is one of the oldest forms of protest in the book, and I loved bearing witness to his interaction with this woman. And this Occupy Portland article on OregonLive discussed how the parks being used to camp have been a recurring location of political history as far back as 1894. That’s kind of cool, and not at all surprising; Portland and the Pacific northwest has a looong history of political activism and progressive thinking.

Yet as Kim pointed out in her article on various West Coast Occupations:

“It will be important as the movement progresses to allow each Occupation to evolve in it’s own way. Maybe each and every city doesn’t need a permanent encampment. Or maybe the cities where camping is being permitted are the places where the Occupiers have room to push the movement even further[...]“

There are some ways in which the local Occupation is doing things differently. Local advocacy organization Right 2 Survive recently launched Right 2 Dream too (or R2Dtoo), a new safe location for the houseless in downtown. With Occupy Portland having led a march to the new shelter location just after it opened, on October 18, the Occupation and Right 2 Survive seem to be working together. Rivermark Community Credit Union extended their Saturday hours to accommodate Portlanders who chose to protest in the form of closing their accounts with megabanks and switching to a local bank or credit union as part of Bank Transfer Day; many other credit unions reported a notable increase in new members signing up recently (I myself am a member of Unitus Credit Union). And it’s not different than any other city, but I find it worth mentioning: Occupy Portland has people talking.

Occupy Portland has also been the source of some disappointments, both in terms of political activism and the behaviour of the protestors themselves. In reading Kim’s impressions of Portland’s Occupation, I felt she very tactfully put eyes on a few issues that people who support the movement aren’t necessarily willing to admit…

“[M]aybe Occupy Portland is a little too comfortable, a little too complacent. With no real Wall Street, a supportive mayor, and well, the whole West Coast on its side, there may actually be nothing revolutionary about it.”

This echos something I’ve said in the past couple weeks about Occupy Portland: I think this city’s protestors feel left out of the excitement. We’ve yet to have any crazy mass arrests, terrifying instances of police brutality, or surprise raids fueled by tear gas. We’ve had bicycle cops and sound equipment and porta-potties. We’ve also had drug overdoses, Molotov Cocktails, graffiti, and rumors of everything from the common cold and flu to scabies and lice. Nobody ever said protest was sexy.

For the homeless the Occupy Portland camp has been something stable with a few amenities. For the street kids, it’s been place to hang out where their unfocused anger and pent up aggression seem to find an outlet. Yes, there are even hippies, drum circles, and illegal drug use. While initially supportive, earlier today Mayor Sam Adams announced that the camp must be shut down by Sunday due to unsanitary conditions and an increased criminal presence. This spurred a march on City Hall this afternoon; I will be very interested to see how things go down this weekend.

In general it will be interesting to see where Portland goes from here. We had a strong start, but I echo Kim’s sentiments: we can still push this to be something more, something different, and something uniquely Portland.

Her West Coast post also has photos I’m not posting here or on Flickr and they’re some of my favourites from the series so please do check those out. Previously on this site I posted photographs of the Occupy Portland march; I’ve also uploaded all of my Occupy Portland photos to Flickr, under a Creative Commons Attribute-NonCommercial license.

2011/11/08
by Merrick
0 comments

Merrick-Go-Round(up)

At the start of the weekend I posted a round-up of links that I’ve been saving to read when I had more time. Today, it’s a round-up of links that are all related to me! Woo, vanity.

A Sock Dreams Halloween

Just before Halloween, sock and sock-accessory aficionados Sock Dreams called in the troops of local fans to shoot a low-fi, DIY commercial. It’s all about how socks make the costume; I played Skeleton Jen and also worked as tears-of-happiness technician(!) for Light Refraction Princess’s victorious closeup.

Halloween is technically over but you can still get your own Harajuku Bones Long Arm Warmers and Kawaii Skeleton Over The Knee Socks! I am so in love with mine…

Skullface Merrick

I’ve been so in love with my new skelegear that I wore it out dancing for Dia de los Muertos at a local goth night… complete with nice and simple skullface makeup. I kinda want to do skull makeup more often! And the water-based products I used had great staying power through several hours of stompy dancing, but was still easy to wash off. And the bartender gave us strawberrry daiquiri shots; omg they were like alcoholic candy! I’d say it was a successful night.

(I’ll be doing a full post on my Halloween costume when I can!)

First Thursday w/Jaret Ferratusco

I’ve been co-curator of Sequential Art Gallery for over two years now, but since I am often the one taking photos of our First Thursday events I’m rarely inany photos. This month we’re showing Jaret Ferratusco’s photographic exploration of depression, and a lot of other wonderful photographers came out to capture the evening… including a few snaps of the elusive Merrick!

Sitting with photographer Jaret Ferratusco, ph. Garry Stallsworth

TEETH, ph. Joseph Clifford Blachette

Talking about art with Tara Walker, ph. Kenneth Barton

I shot a lot of fun pics and even video(!) from the evening, click over to the gallery’s website to see em…

Geek in the City guest star: me!

Last week I returned to the Geek in the City podcast to talk about the First Thursday art walk, Alter Egos Society’s next event, and to generally banter with those fine geeky gents. The First Thursday info may be out of date, but it’s still a fun listen!

Follow the link to listen to Geek in the City issue 134

Alter Egos Society’s Hero/Villain Ceasefire

Speaking of the Alter Egos Society, we’re days away from our annual fundraiser concert event… the 5th Annual Hero/Villain Ceasefire! Live music, video games, dancing, raffle prizes, costume contests, and lots of liquid courage on hand. Proceeds from the night’s festivities go to p:ear.

You have just enough time before the Ceasefire to put together your superhero or supervillain costume! Tickets start at $10; check out the all the info and buy tickets online.

2011/11/04
by Merrick
0 comments

Oof (random links post)

Between prepping for Halloween, hanging out with a friend after a her surgery, and working on final details for a big event next weekend, these past two weeks (hell, the whole of October itself) have pretty much flown by. The fun, it just does not stop! Which is awesome; I am certainly not complaining. Well, except that I’ve barely had any time to catch up on Internet articles, leaving a good dozen or so tabs open that no, really… I’ll totally get around to reading… sometime… Oof!

—

Local boutique Rad Summer carries a variety of goods: recycled, hand made, indie designer, and records. They also maintain a fun, Tumblr-esque blog of pics!

io9 writer Charlie Jane Anders posted this rather amusing aborted-interview/rant titled “Why Science Fiction Writers are like Porn Stars“. I love both porn and sci-fi, so the combination was too good to resist! In the unanswered interview portion, one of the questions is “Q: Are you aware that “porn star” is a job, not a class of person?”. He also juxtaposed the two industries thusly:

“Porn stars and genre writers are both trying, in very different ways, to satisfy a basic human need for a transcendent experience, something that takes you out of yourself. People — who feel imprisoned in these bodies, these lives, these surroundings — crave escapism and fantasy, but also a feeling of connection to a world where implausible things happen.”

This post on the only living master of a dying martial art looks like a pretty awesome read. And if the picture isn’t enough to convince you to abandon your current lifestyle and become his disciple, it will at least entice you to read the article!

It never hurts to have a reminder: 15 Point Checklist: WordPress Start-Up Guide After Installation

A lengthy piece that delves into who’s behind the V for Vendetta mask that is now so heavily associated with both Anonymous and the Occupy movement. This is definitely to be filed under “recommended reading” for design buffs, comic fans, cultural anthropologists, and revolutionary-minded peoples. Though I’ll warn you that it does contain spoilers if you *cough* haven’t read V for Vendetta… ;)

In related but more Portland-based news, apparently the Occupy Portland movement has deep roots within the city, revisiting politically historical sites dating back 125 years! Go Portland.

Blogger, artist, and mystic Katelan Foisy is in the beginning stages of something different. She started a new Tumblr to chronicle the days of this journey: Dangerous Combinations;

“I’ve been thinking about madness, about chaos magic (merging science and magic). They say you have to be somewhat mad in order to work magic. The key is to be mad and then come out of it. Can one do that if they were to do it for 40 days?”