From Art as Experience - by John Dewey A man does something: he lifts, let us say, a stone. In consequence he undergoes, suffers, something: the weight, strain, texture of the surface of the thing lifted. The stone is too heavy or too angular, not solid enough; or else the properties undergone show it is fit for the use for which it is intended. The process continues until a mutual adaptation of the self and object emerges and that particular experience comes to a close. What is true of this simple instance is true, as to form, of every experience. The creature operating may be a thinker in his study and his environment with which he interacts may consist of ideas instead of stone. But interaction of the two constitutes the total experience that is had, and the close which completes it is the institution of a felt harmony.
new
trip
Summary of an east coast tour: North Carolina - Wrong turn. Dead horse, upside down. Assisted living facility. Memento clad walls. Smiles for what used to be. White hair cafeteria pile up. Country Gram's bones poke through white sheets. She moans "I can't. I can't". Her grandson feeds her ground turkey and mashed potatoes. Screams "I love you" in her ear. Barbeque frenzy. Black cowboy hat frightens baby. Tears roll onto stained hotel carpet. Father-in-law wheezes. Brother-in-law blinks. Sister-in-law sighs. Mother-in-law takes an expired Vitamin Water from the fridge. I am obliged to take a sip.
New Jersey - No one walks except the deer. Freddy Fingers plays a lullaby. Waitress removes half-dead cockroach from the floor. One endless round of skiball. Funhouse mirrors. Thrift store dust. Atlantic chill. Grandpa shuffles into the garage for another cigar. Grandma squeezes baby tight while watching Etta James on You Tube. Bad pizza. Mom's strawberry rhubarb pie with whipped cream. A cacophony of televisions. Picture from the 40's posted to facebook. More smiles for what used to be.
New York City - Midtown through the eyes of a baby. Stroller wrestling. Wobbly wheel. Swiss duck. Subway stories. Friends forever. Godmother Carol. Aunt Vanessa. Empire State fog. Knock-off bag. Egg and cheese on a roll. Gallery gaze. French tourists and their mothers. Mud pie made with hairy arms. Too much to do.