I had this exact same conversation except I had LD’s argument. What is with people and eternity? Is this lifetime not enough?

So I always thought that Mardi Gras equaled Girls Gone Wild. Period.

I was so, so wrong.

I would get mad, working at the Burning Man festival, when others more wet behind the ears than I and my dusty cranky faction would say, “Yeah, Burning Man’s great! It reminds me of Mardi Gras!”

You don’t know what you’re talking about, my subconscious would scream. Have you any idea what it takes to live in a van for 2 months out of the year, in one of the harshest environments on Earth, laboring like a hard-time prisoner and eating nothing but Pabst Blue Ribbon and bacon? … Do you have any inkling as to the effort involved in building a fantastical city out of THIN AIR for FIFTY THOUSAND PEOPLE, and that we have to TEAR IT ALL BACK DOWN TO NOTHING?

(The subconscious, you see, can become quite the Bill Hicks-level righteous aggravationist when faced with 10-hour days under the hot sun in hangovery dust storms.)

But you know what? On Friday and Saturday nights? When we’ve built the city infrastructure and every-thousand ticketholders have come and added the bells and whistles and finally put down the tools to suit up in their finery and go out on the town and look at what other people have been working on all year in their spare time? It DOES remind me of Mardi Gras. Now that I’ve been to Mardi Gras as a New Orleans resident, I get it.

dear Pan, please bless the proceedings and continue scaring the little children. Amen

My first parade ever was Muses, on Friday night. They’re the only all-woman Krewe which marches after nightfall, and I heard it was the best one, with the best throws, so we braved traffic and crippling cold weather to post up in front of the corn dog stand on St. Charles and watch the art cars — er, Mardi Gras parade floats — do their thing.

Krewe d'Etat king for a day. Sorry for the grainy cameraphone pix but you see just what i saw

Before Muses, which had moved from the Thurdsay due to rain, we saw the Mystic Krewe of Hermes, Le Krewe d’Etat, and the Krewe of Morpheus parades, all on the same route. If you don’t know what any of that means, then you’re up to the speed I was at a month ago, so do your own research. Mardi Gras is a fascinating, culture-rich, old-world-taken-from, across-all-barriers holiday that (this sounds corny but) makes me proud to be an American.

soldiers, marching bands, dancing girls, fire-bearers, creepy hooded men on horseback, punishing sound systems ... yep, all things i like

And just like at the Burning Dude, on the weekend anyway, attendees revel in distributing and/or collecting useless crap that, for one night only, seems like treasure. MOOP! I gave in though: Two boxes of Mardi Gras beads, all colors and sizes, somehow made their way back to my house. Right now they sit in my closet, waiting for the day when I till the weeds out of my back yard. Then I can throw the beads up in the tree, and if they fall out, they won’t mess up the rental gardening equipment.

all their floats had themes about how to please a woman. this one was the cutest

Indeed, the Mystic Krewe of Muses did bust out some good throws. I caught a reusable grocery bag, a stuffed-animal toy for the dog, and a necklace and matching bracelet made of high-heeled Barbie shoes. The Muses’ grand prize throw — the object of the game, if you’re that serious about throw-collecting at parades — is a custom-decorated real shoe, gaudied up with glitter and tassels and puffy paint. Talk about useless. But like I said, for one night, it’s gold.

The actual point of the parades, of course, is not to throw and/or collect beads … really, the whole City of New Orleans agrees to come out to party at the same time, to lay down their weapons and insecurities, and to make eye contact with — and mutually celebrate — the rest of their hometown. Each bead-throw is a person-to-person gift exchange (“Throw me something, Mister!”) … a way for those riding on the floats to make people happy, and for those on the street, a way to reinforce the sometimes-shaky notion that most people, given normal circumstances, are really really nice.

The tourists? They’re on Bourbon Street. The rest of Mardi Gras is for us.

“INFJs you slowly learn to resent, INFPs you quickly learn to forget.”

So true. Resentment is like a slow poison that takes time to become toxic. INFP’s are BORING, sickly sweet and I always want to make them blush or cringe, push them past the pretty wrapping paper of their novel reality and embrace the dark side. bwuhahaha. Doesn’t really ever happen and so they aren’t that memorable except for being annoying and childish.
- token thought – “wow… your that nice guy that just has no fizzle… I have no room in my life for nice guys, I’m here to conquer the insufferable ego maniacs and battle with the know it all’s, no time for fairy tales and moonbeams.” That’s not to say that some people don’t need or deserve to have a sullen,sweet,safe and preoccupied significant other in their life, it’s just not me.

“INFJs love to energetically argue, and usually can’t stop, even when they’re getting the crap kicked out of them”

Oh yes. I love a good argument I can feel passionately about. Puts the meaning into life, because if you don’t feel passionately about something, anything, are you really living?

INFJ:

“Ni wants the oneness and connection of the ideal romantic relationship. Fe wants the commitment and social role of the relationship that Ni creates, as well as puts the partner before the self. Ti keeps us thinking that we have our oneness and connection even if we do not, but also focuses on the logic behind quality over quantity (as opposed to Te which tends toward the opposite). Se loves the sensual side of things, and when combined with all the other functions, it is forced to blend the sensual act into an emotional symphony of physical affection.

In my own experience, I’ve had many meaningful and memorable moments with partners that I’ve never had sex with”

dancing is one of those moments-
“Dancing is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire.” – George Bernard Shaw

Black Rock Arts Foundation is supporting The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts presentation of the Global Lives Project, an innovative video installation representing global diversity.

Working with acclaimed filmmakers, artists and designers, Global Lives assembles the realities of everyday life from Lebanon, Serbia, China, India, Japan, Malawi, Indonesia, Brazil, Kazakhstan and San Francisco into an installation by architectural and design visionaries of Sand Studios and Forum.

The opening celebration:

February 26, at YBCA, 7:30-11:30 pm,
(3rd and Howard Streets, San Francisco).

You must RSVP for this free event!

Global Lives was one of the Black Rock Arts Foundation’s 2008 Grant Recipients.  We will be there and hope you will be too!

BRAF Posts about Global Lives

The Black Rock Arts Foundation is proud to support the installation of Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito’s sculpture Ecstasy at Patricia’s Green in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, CA. This hopeful, figurative work will be on display, free to the public, from February 7, 2010 till June 18, 2010.

First displayed at the Burning Man festival in Nevada in 2008, Ecstasy is one of the eight monumental metal figures of the artists’ masterpiece, Crude Awakening. In Crude Awakening, these eight figures surrounded a 99-foot tall wooden oil derrick in gestures of prostration, worship and exaltation. Alone, Ecstasy embarks on a hopeful journey. Instead of throwing her head back in reverie to the oil derrick, she gazes wistfully into the open sky as she steps forward into an optimistic future, free of dependency on fossil fuel.

Through our Civic Arts Program, BRAF is pleased to further the evolution of this artwork’s message by exposing it to a new audience and community, and to return to the site of Patricia’s Green. In 2005, this location was the site of BRAF’s first public art project.

Working closely with the residents and business owners of the Hayes Valley neighborhood, BRAF established a model of community collaboration towards the curation and installation of public art. These community members continued to work on bringing art into their neighborhood, forming the Hayes Valley Art Coalition. The installation of Ecstasy at Patricia’s Green further affirms the success of this collaboration, and of the model of public, temporary art installation.

Join us in celebration of Ecstasy at the opening reception:

February 26, 2010
Patricia’s Green
at Octavia and Hayes Streets
San Francisco, CA
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

BRAF posts about Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito

photo: Michael Strickland

INFJs:

value personal integrity and “being true to yourself”
are on a lifelong search for a unique identity and meaning; spirituality is important to us
can be hard to get to know, depending on the other person (reciprocity)
are sometimes seen by others as cold and hard on the outside
can be difficult to “peg”; sometimes INFJs may not even recognise fellow members of their own type
may find it easier to express their deepest feelings and sentiments non-verbally or in writing
abhor evil or injustice, especially that directed towards the innocent or helpless
are sometimes looked upon by others as naive, mostly due to our idealism
can be quite gullible; many INFJs build up a protective armour over the years to protect against this and being “used” by others
enjoy thoughtful discussion but dislike arguing for argument’s sake, as this often degenerates into ugly conflict
are bookworms, love bookstores and libraries
are affiliative; get stressed and cannot survive for extended periods without company
rarely get into conflict, but when it erupts, can be very bitter
aren’t terribly career-minded
love personality tests and other self-improvement tools
love quotes/quotations and are often “philosophers” or “theologists”
need to confide in others and express opinions and feelings about others: Fe-ing (Feeling extraverted)
are “Directors” who give advice, though usually more subtly than most other Directors.
are interested in ESP, paranormal, “new age,” or psychic experiences
“Mute withdrawal is a major INFJ defense.”
often have “oceanic” memories where details are recalled through intuitive leaps and thought association

The Leo Sun/Leo Moon combination produces a forceful, ambitious and concentrative personality…one which is bent on achieving a good deal of prestige and success in the world. On the surface, these persons appear jovial, sunny, full of vitality and always expressing good spirits. However, beneath this facade, there often lurks a hard streak in the nature…a degree of ruthlessness which never forgets or forgives any injury or slight to the innate pride and/or vanity. Somehow, Leo Sun/Leo Moon natives can be jovial, sunny and friendly while remaining so independent and authorative that they seek nothing less than the ultimate in leadership and prominence. Nevertheless, there is someting magnificent about the methods of fighting associated with this combination…whether the battle be personal or on behalf of others. There is a scorn for enemies here that enables the Leo subject governed by a Leo Moon to demolish such enemies ruthlessly, but the action will be devoid of any malice. In short, there is a detached and impersonal quality marking the nature of this combination. These individuals are not inherently introspective and many of their actions are based upon instincts rather than analyzed personal motive. They also have tremendous personal control…a control which, given time, will likely be exerted over others. Leo Sun/Leo Moon subjects possess a vast degree of pride and vanity which can be satisfied, for example, by displays of admiration and flattery from those around them…or by the broader method of achieved amitions. There will always be a constant tendency toward the excessive in a variety of ways. These individuals are endowed with an immensely strong will…a will which can be used in either a positive or negative fashion.

Some Famous Leo Sun/Leo Moon Personalities
* Yasser Arafat * Stephen Carpenter * Coby Dick * Jonathan Frakes * Herbert Hoover * Donny Most *
* Peter O’Toole * Martin Sheen * Wesley Snipes * Patrick Swayze *
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