Just kidding. I like the works of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. I drove up to see their Umbrellas when they were in the Grapevine. It's hard to describe the impact of a work that's made not for language but for the senses. People stopped alongside the freeway to look, no one was talking and we were all smiling.
So as you can see, this photo does not depict a Christo/Jeanne-Claude work.
The Hahamongna Watershed Park Advisory Committee meets tonight at 6PM in the second floor training room of the public works building at the City Yards, 233 W. Mountain St. There's plenty of parking and the signs directing you to the room are easy to follow. Come listen, learn and help me decipher the politicspeak.
(Inspiration for the Christo/Jeanne-Claude idea: John Sandel)
22 comments:
Hahahahaha! Your post title made me laugh so hard I choked and sputtered marmalade into my keyboard (that's going to take some cleaning). I shouldn't check your blog at breakfast time.
Good luck with this evening's meeting.
got to love politics.
I remember seeing the Umbrellas as well.. wow what a site, it took my breath away...
Love your (black) humor on this... sad but true
John says, "Call this one Running Joke."
Brilliant.
Reference to Christo just a bit of brilliance. Thanks for the meeting reminder - it is a most important meeting.
What's on the agenda tonight?
I have never been lucky enough to see Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work, but I did see the two of them give an illustrated talk to a small room of students in Cambridge. Christo's English is very poor, and Jeanne-Claude kept correcting him, it was very funny. I love their art, and I'm sure if they'd had a hand in Hahamongna, that fence would be in saffron-colored silk.
What's on tonight's agenda that interests you, Petrea?
"Agenda items include update on L.A. County Public Works Department sediment removal project; update on Hahamongna multibenefit project and Hahamongna basin multiuse project; update on California River Parkways grant submittal for upper Arroyo Seco train hub project; and update on Pasadena Equestrian Center leases."
Multibenefit and Multiuse projects: citizens have asked the committee to change the names of these projects as they are (perhaps deliberately) confusing. I'm not sure which one, but one of them includes a soccer field. That interests me.
Also "California River Parkways grant submittal." I don't know what that is. Contrary to what some citizens believe, grants for all this work are not in place. The city continues to apply for grant after grant to build in and pollute the watershed.
I was startled to read "Arroyo Seco train hub project." Are they bringing the Metro in there now? Oh no, it's a typo on the Agenda. It should have been trail hub. That one letter makes quite a difference.
I saw a Christo project once in the middle of nowhere. It seemed awe-inspiring yet overrated. Thinking about it now, perhaps that was the point.
I've never seen a Christo work. I can't stay for the whole thing but I'm going to stop by tonight. I'm thinking of bringing Louise. I wonder how that will go over.
Great title and idea for your post!
And good luck tonight.
It's nearly 8:00 and I'm just catching my breath. Got tied up today and didn't make the meeting which, as Roberta said, is an important one. I hope someone can report back to me.
You missed a good one.
I'm very sorry I missed it. Do you want to give us a report? Or is that asking too much?
I'm almost scared to ask what happened. The news gets worse and worse. I was talking to Marrietta last week -- she's been fighting the good fight for years -- and she has some very depressing predictions.
I received interesting reports via email last night from people who were at the meeting. I wasn't there, but I will say it looks like dirty deals are being made and lies are being told (not necessarily by the committee but by people they are powerless to control). Apparently accusations flew.
And as one person put it to me, why do the citizens try hard to be there when the committee members can't be bothered to show up? Meaning, there were so few committee members in attendance that at 8:00, when one committee member left, there was no longer a quorum and the meeting had to be adjourned. Very little got done.
I wish I didn't have to make a living. I'd never miss one of these meetings.
Dianne posted a recording on Facebook.
Tim Brick gave a great presentation, but the committee is powerless to do anything even if they wanted to, and I'm not convinced they do want to.
I don't see her post, can you link us to it?
Yes, I have no concept of what this committee is trying to do except waste their time and ours. A year ago I thought they had Hahamongna's best interests at heart. Now I think they're floundering.
http://soundcloud.com/houseofhavisham/hwpac-entire-11-29-2011
Love Christo! Loved the Running Fence documentary (on PBS 1978 or 1979). I'll have to find it and watch it again.
Clever take on the fence idea.
If anyone can decipher political speak, let me know!
Thank you, Susan. I look forward to listening to that when I can put in some good concentration time.
Tash, I'm coming to the conclusion that political speak is a way of not saying what you mean, because what you mean can't be said, because what can't be said is the truth, and if the truth were known we wouldn't vote for you.
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