A soulless university is taking over a game jam that a group of local developers hosted last year and just....

AHGGGGGGGGGGGGGAUFGSUIKEHFAKSUIEGFSUAIEGFAUHFGAGFGAGGAGAG

I just have to scream somewhere that doesn't burn bridges. I know they won't see it here because I invited them to come to the art exhibit that I featured this website on but of course they didn't come check it out. You know... I thought local computer science people would be interested in talking about social media design trends and how we can use programming to make the internet more humane, but... obviously they just want to make money off of students in their failing model of a university. FUCK

I even offered to use my Riso printer for free like last year to do fliers that are low cost and ecofriendly but... of course they just wanna update a different free flier template and print it at fucking FedEx or some shit.

Sorry. To you reader. Not that damn school.

Tonight I watched all of my old college classical guitar recitals on YouTube.

I saw an energy and passion in me that I now long for

But also a lot of pain that I don’t miss.

I just got back from a trip to visit Lake Michigan. I saw this person enjoying the sunset and just had to snap a sneaky photo. I felt so one with them and the others interrupting their lives to just enjoy the beauty of a Lake Michigan sunset.

Recently, I was out at the compost site. I had arrived to dump new food scraps that I had collected from others. When I arrived, I saw that the previous fresh pile of compost dropoff had been moved and mixed into the actively decomposing piles. It left an empty, damp spot in the ground where it once stood. I and my other coworkers and those who had left the food scraps for us to collect had all been building this pile together. Now, it has been mixed in with the rest, leaving a space for the next beautiful stinky mountain to craft.

I was brought to tears.

At the beginning of the month I made a kombucha spell for nurturing spaces.

When I drink it, I feel the power that comes with taking care of those around me, especially when taking care of shared spaces. Today, I brought a wheelbarrow of hay over to the piles

( w e u s e i t t o c o v e r t h e f r e s h f o o d s c r a p s )

and I envisioned my coworkers coming out to the site later in need of it, and finding it there for their use. I felt the power of my kombuch spell coursing through me.

The importance of nurturing spaces extends to the internet, now more than ever before. I'm so thankful for people like those who made this website, and those who exist here. We're all so different, but we also have the same urge to queer up the spaces that are otherwise blandly designed to suit everyone, therefore no one.

after a week of walking through a local apple festival with my friends all weekend, I was greeted by some gourds at the compost site.

And finally... this is the storm cloud that washed over the farm this morning...

There's nothing else to be said, really. BYE!

I was brought to tears.

I was brought to tears.

( w e u s e i t t o c o v e r t h e f r e s h f o o d s c r a p s )

( w e u s e i t t o c o v e r t h e f r e s h f o o d s c r a p s )

BYE!

BYE!

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Hello reader...

I think

Actually, I know I am.

I've been doing research for a text adventure game that I'd like to make once I'm finished building a tool that I've been slowly piecing together for making text based games with a heavy focus on sound design.

I'm hoping it will be easy to play the games via mobile as well since the main actionable words can be hovered over to reveal the possible actions.

But anyway... I said I'm a witch...

I've been reading books about witchcraft throughout history to research for a witchy game I'd like to make next, and I started watching videos from youtube witches. I was struck by a concept that many of them talk about; the intentions behind spells. I started to see it line up with how I've always wanted to feel when meditating, which usually just feels too connected to a type of religion. But with spellcraft as a form of focusing intent, I felt like I could finally make these moments my own.

I've started making my own kombucha tea spells to focus my intentions both while brewing, and while drinking. I'd like to share them with friends eventually.

The last spell I did for first fermentation was focused on the power of the Maumee River near my house, and as I felt it coursing through me, the candle flame danced madly and I was brought to tears. I've never felt such a profound connection to the world around me with any other practice.

Anyway, maybe should be a witch too.

I'm a witch

You hear every sound out here twice. It enters your ears, at the same time flies through the air, bounces off this structure, and reenters. Not every sound, though. Only the lower frequencies with long wavelengths, or louder high frequencies.

When I first park and shut my car door, it slaps back to me a second time. I open up my backseat door, sit down, put on my work shoes, put on sunscreen. I get up and shut the door, and this building slaps it back to me.

While I work out here, I've been sifting through a lot of creative ideas. This is what I was hoping for in this job. I'm loving the farm vibes and the physical labor, but I mostly wanted a job that wouldn't use up my creative ideas, but replenish and support them.

I've been curating an interactive art exhibition about the internet, highlighting projects that focus on serving people something that actually has them in mind, instead of making tons of money for some corporation. And also projects that are interested in the environmental sustainability of the web.

I'm working on building a solar server out here at the compost site that will collect data about the compost piles using various censors. The data will be uploaded to a spreadsheet that can be accessed for all sorts of uses. Mostly, I want to use the data to generate an adaptive music piece. It'll hopefully connect people to the piles in an emotional way, through the sonifcation of its breakdown process.

Anyway, that's all for this log. <3

BYE | BYE | BYE

BYE | BYE | BYE

I’m now grounds keeper (compost site technician) at a compost site, so I’m going to be keeping a regular log of my work there. I've been working as a production assistant for a public access TV station for the past 5 years while doing game development and creative coding projects on the side, so I'm just excited to get outside and work on something that I find to be helpful, and meaningful to my life.

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

I woke up early this morning to start training for my new job at a composting site in my hometown.  I’ll be mostly working on upkeep for the compost site itself, but also doing some web and app development, along with some art projects related to the composting company.  

I rode along with one of my new coworkers as they did their weekly route to pick up compost from pickup subscribers.  We talked about her dual-citizenship in Spain, and what life is like there when she visits.  When I studied classical guitar performance in college, a lot of the repertoire I played was from Spanish composers.  I’d love to visit sometime.

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Friday, June 24, 2022

This morning I woke up early and went out to the compost site to beat the sun.  A big reason why I was hired on to help is that the few employees they have are usually too exhausted to do the tedious cleaning after a long day of routes and drop offs. In this way, I really feel like it's my job to nurture the space in a way that will help both the compost and the other workers themselves. I hope that I can maintain this feeling that I'm giving them something, like a gift of a clean and welcoming space to come to when they're dropping off.

After the route, I went out to the compost site for the first time, which will be my new office in a weird way.  The geodesic dome got damaged during last week’s derecho so I’ll want to fix that up and get the tarp over it so that I can have some shade to rest in.  The sun beats directly down, leaving nowhere to hide from it.

I raked up some leftover grass from the farmer’s who host the compost size, and we used that to mix in with the new drop-off.  Brett, the compost site owner, then used a big machine to stir up the compost and add it to the newest pile.  I’d like to learn more about the recipe for the piles, but I’m sure that will come in time.  

Friday, June 24, 2022

I picked about 4 buckets worth of plastic and other unwanted objects out of the piles and the ground.  I pull plastic out of the ground like weeds.  It’s incredibly satisfying.  I have strong sense of purpose after seeing how much of a difference one day of me being here makes.  I also went back to the fields and raked up more of the leftover grass from the farm.  We can use this to pad the drop-off compost from the ground so that it doesn’t harden from the moisture, and also for mixing into the piles.  

I’ve found that I talk to myself.  I noticed as I was doing it, that I would explain out loud my plan for the next task.  My grandfather used to do this when he was a farmer.  In the mornings that we stayed over, we’d hear him on the toilet going over his daily tasks.  My grandpa did this.  Now I do this.

Anyway, until next time...

- space___owl

I hope

you're being kind to yourself.

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Today's the day... I've been working on this short dance film for over a year. A local art house theater is letting me project it for an audience. It's such a mix of emotions. I'm nervous, excited, and hoping that it's worth people's attention, time, and money! Why is making things so scary? ughhh

Anyway, tonight's the night.

Wish me luck! <3

Yesterday, on my walk by the Maumee River to the local coffee shop, I came upon a goose. Normally, the geese around here ignore me, but this one seemed extra intent on claiming this first real day of Spring. It hissed at me, even stepping forward a bit. I said "Okay. Can I walk over here? I'm just trying to pass." Stepping off the sidewalk and down the human-made ridge that helps keep the river from flooding the nearby neighborhood, I made my way around it as it rotated its head to show me its tongue. I looked around to see if anyone on their porches witnessed the small moment. Let you, reader, be a witness.

I then made my way down the stretch of sidewalk along the river, only to see a few more geese in the distance. One was pecking away at something it found to eat in the grass, while the other kept guard. Like before, this one hissed at me. I sidestepped and gave it a respectful distance on this nice spring morning.