Do not go quietly…
I have two things to share in this space today. One good and one really not-so-good.
First, the good: Ok, Game of Shrooms was SUPER FUN! I woke up early Saturday morning, started scrolling through the #gameofshrooms hashtag on Instagram (just to “see”), and recognized a place in a clue that was about 12 minutes away from me. I got dressed and drove over. No coffee. No breakfast. Best part? No traffic. The mushroom-themed art was already gone though, and I’m guessing I missed it by a minute tops. So I started refreshing the hashtag to see where to drive next. Nothing was coming up in my area and I started to feel like maybe I should go home and get on with my day. Boy, am I glad I didn’t! A clue for the watercolor shown below popped up just as I was about to give up and I knew exactly where to head. Nine minutes away. This time I was the first one there! It’s by Annie Owens, co-founder of Hi-Fructose magazine (and wife to Attaboy, who puts on the game itself!). By this time, the adrenaline was pumping, you know, the thrill of the chase. I figured out another clue and snagged that graffiti piece by local muralist Chris Granillo you see below. But I had to go WAY over to Berkeley to get it. Afterwards, not only did I need to fuel up but so did my electric car. I went home, ate, drank some coffee, and went out again…in my other vehicle. It was getting later, and hotter, and more people were “foraging” by then. No more finds. But I’m super happy with what I did score! And next year I’ll definitely be making something mushroom-y to hide.
Ok, the bad: Got some heartbreaking news on Sunday. My brilliant friend mikl-em is in hospice care. Early last September, he sent out a missive describing the sudden discovery of a tumor in his brain and the subsequent surgery required to immediately remove it. I assumed “no news was good news,” but, well, here we are damnit. I could say a lot more about him, he’s a legendary cacophonist and raconteur, but I’ll stop. It was requested of his friends that we send mikl love via email and I have done that. I think that’s all we can do— just hold him and his amazing partner Danielle in our thoughts and throw lots of love their way. Dying is both beautiful and total bullshit.
Long Now put together this tribute about him.
— Rusty Blazenhoff
P.S. Thanks for all the “survivor” songs you sent my way. Out of all of them, this one sent in by John S. seems most apt to share this week. |
