brucine (broo'-seen), 1) n. Pharm., Chem. a bitter, poisonous alkaloid, C23H26N2O4, obtained from the nux vomica tree; 2) n. Bruce Bortin's 'low-impact' weblog

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Guido at the marver


Guido at the marver, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Guido Gerlitz shapes & cools the mass of glass on the marver, while Jerry Kung sorts out the tools he'll need next at the bench.

Color Drop


Color Drop, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Yesterday, I videotaped Dan's team making the light fixtures for the restaurant at the new De Young Museum.

Here, Dan Reilly serves up some hot Kugler to Jerry Kung at Access Studios in Berkeley

Birthday Party


Birthday Party, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

...then Mary & Cathy took me out to LJ's Tiny Martini Bar at the Metreon Center for drinks, presents and some weird fusion sushi/taco hybrid things which were actually quite tasty.

Thanks, Mary & Cathy!

Reflection 3 Feb 22 05


Reflection 3 Feb 22 05, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Reflection 2 Feb 22 05


Reflection 2 Feb 22 05, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Reflection 1 Feb 22 05


Reflection 1 Feb 22 05, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Waiting for the (fucking) 71-Noriega bus to take me to Golden Gate Park on Tuesday. It took a long time to show up, so I amused myself with my camera and reflective urban surfaces.

This is what I look like at the beginning of my 53rd year.

Orange Scaffold Netting 76th St


Orange Scaffold Netting 76th St, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

On our way to the Gates last week. I don't know whose installation this was.

Monday, February 21, 2005

Chelsea Papaya


Chelsea Papaya, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

The papaya juice that came with a couple hot dogs from Chelsea Papaya. In room 830 at the Chelsea Hotel.

More NY Orange.

Subway Seats


Subway Seats, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

In New York, I was collecting examples of the color orange for the video documentary of The Gates.

Mud Rut


Mud Rut, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

After a rain. The color's a little bit juiced on this one.

New Oven Control


New Oven Control, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Bracket fungi with algae


Bracket fungi with algae, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Waveny

Waveny Ice


Waveny Ice, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Hi. I'm back home, so here come the photos I took back East, but haven't been able to upload until now.

This is the surface of a frozen pond that Mary, John & I encountered on a stroll through Waveny, a nature preserve in New Canaan.

Saturday, February 19, 2005

The Gates, Project for Central Park, New York City, XXIII. Collage 2004


Gates1, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Postcard from the gift shop at the 68th & 5th entrance to the park. While Mary was buying this postcard, I was shooting video of the action at the gift store.

There was a cop in the queue who just wanted to buy a souvenir, and there I was making him a subject of my video. He wasn't too crazy about that.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Phone


Phone, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

New phone for the computer room. It's the little things.

Soon as I get home, those rugs in the foyer are history.

Cords


Cords, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Trying to make the house a little less accident-prone. Here's some wiring to make the downstairs phone a little less ferklugget. Oy.

Monday, February 14, 2005

Jack In His Chair


Jack In His Chair, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Here's Jack enjoying what may very well be his last morning in his old chair. The physical therapist has put the kibosh on Jack's old accustomed throne, and I think we're getting him a new chair today.

Sure hope he likes it. He spends an awful lot of time in that spot.

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Strawberry Butter


Strawberry Butter, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Sketch from lunch today. Mary & John played slow gin.

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Proofed one of Al's briefs today, and was it ever a stinkeroo.

Here's what I think: Lawyers should have subliminal pleading paper. Paper that, while it's being read, it exudes clandestiine messages:

"The clerk of the court is a benevolent demigod."
"The clerk of the court is mythologically wise."
"His Honor is SO good lookin'."

Friday, February 11, 2005

FoxNews, Anarchy, Explosion


FoxNews, Anarchy, Explosion, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Video still from an ad for the Anarchist Bookfair. The FoxNews logo gets exploded and replaced by the

XXX
ANARCHY
NEWS
logo.

________________________________________________

This might be the last pictorial entry that I'll be able to do for a while. I'm going on the road, and I won't be able to upload photos to the blog, although I'm considering some work-arounds. Stay tuned, brucine-ariños.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Still Life with Raymond


Still Life with Raymond, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Mary brought home this nice jade-glass vase with Lillies of the Valley last night. For the New Year. And any still life is enhanced by the presence of Ray.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

DMV


DMV, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

At the DMV to renew my license today. It could have been worse.

Gung hay fat choy.

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Jean


Jean, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Nessie & I interviewed Jean Pauline on Saturday.

Here's a still from the video. We're trying to lash together an ad spot for the Anarchist Bookfair, coming sometime in March.

Sunday, February 06, 2005

nessie erased


nessie erased, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

Nessie & I got a start on the Anarchaeology project yesterday, shooting some video of Jean I Don't Know Her Last Name in the garden behind her house in Oakland. We got some good footage, and i'm pleased with the sound quality. That Jean has a lot to say, and I'm glad that people will be able to hear her.

Nessie doesn't want his visage to be shown on the video, so I processed him out with a big fuzzy blue dot. And I heliumed up his voice, too

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Masthead1


Masthead1, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

I'm wrestling with a rebuild of my website,

bortino

Since I haven't yet arrived at a coherent design concept yet, the going has been a little bit rocky.

Struggle, struggle.

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Beer-o-plasm


Beer-o-plasm, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

At the New Delhi Bar with Mary. Why is it necessary to advertise beer?

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Super Dad


Super Dad, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

From the Department of Confusing Commercial Utterances.

Yesterday, I finally got myself hooked up to DSL. In the box with the modem and the disk, Earthlink included a bunch of ads for additional products and services.

This one, for a wireless router, featured photos of a very fairskinned family, all enjoying wireless computing in different venues about the home.

It's Dad that's bothering me. Check his hair, that swirled pompadour action there. Where have I seen that before? DC Comics, that's where.

Dad here is obviously a middle-aged version of the Man of Steel, and oh, look, Superman's got WiFi, and a cordless phone! Now, isn't that nice!

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

17th & Webster Graffiti


17th & Webster Graffiti, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

This is a wall facing a parking lot. It looks like the paint was applied with a brush or maybe a spraycan on the end of a long, flexible stick.

I'm not saying it's good; I'm not saying it's bad. I'm just saying that somebody went to an awful lot of trouble to put this piece up.

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