FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH FATHERS

June 19, 2016

Condolences to my friend, Paul Linke, who lost his dad just a few days ago.  He was well into his nineties: 98! Quite a guy! And, follows another great, Janet Waldo who preceded him by a week or so at the age of 96. We should be grateful for our fathers. My dad died when he was 44.  I really didn't much know him, but through memories that are either my remembering or incidents that have been told to me, maybe more than what I may actually remember, I got the feeling that my dad was a pretty good guy. I don't know if he was married before he met my mom.  He was getting into middle age when I came along.  Mom HAD been married before, but I only found out because I am a snooper.  Never got the low down on her first husband.

But..  Fathers' Day is only on the radar for a brief time and thanks to Facebook, all the folks with fathers who are alive or those who are dead, will honor their fathers with a photo or a blurb. I envy them a little, as my memories of Dad are few.  How my life would have been different had he been around as I grew up, I cannot imagine.  Really. It's so hard to come up with a scenario. I won't try to plot it now, but I am sure that I'd not be sitting here with an inkling of speculation or a thought like this. I'd be somewhere in another land.. another situation.. another 'here' and not be wondering about these unimaginable things.  Imagine that?!!

I had a long chat with an old Faire friend today: Judy Cory.  She's an actor and artist whom I met when I was doing the Renaissance Faires with CapriTaurus long ago.  She taught me things that no other person has ever taught me and I am grateful. She is an enthusiastic listener and conversationalist.  She is bright and present.  A nice woman.  She got all excited about my upcoming installation at the LA Municipal Art Gallery and encouraged me to get into working on it today.  I was in the middle of a dream that included my dear friend, Ken Rugg when the phone rang.  I was trying to find him in a strange tiered lecture room where, I think, percussion was either being played or discussed.  When I finally saw him across the room, chatting with other students? were they students? who were they?? Rugg had dark hair, so that was a long time ago.

Similar to, but unlike the death of my dad, meeting Rugg was a moment in time that really did change my life. It propelled me into theatre and a life that is working out pretty well.  That one moment  I treasure because had I not been in that specific moment, chances are I'd not be sitting here, either!  Life. 

As I think on it.. for LA locals and adjacent by traveling,   The Tennessee Williams / Impro Ensemble show at The Falcon Theatre in Toluca Lake is really wonderful.  I'll be recommending it over and over again.

Yesterday, I was telling a friend whom I know from the screenings at the DGA about this, my 366 photo project .. see image above.. and she could not see it in her imagination.  She wanted the photos to 'be about something' instead of just daily images as I have done here every day since the Winter Solstice.  She doesn't 'get it' that the subtle changes are what the project is about.  She did have a wonderful idea, though.. to mount the images in a huge 'zoetrope' animation device that would spin and one would see the changes in my photos in an animated way.  It might take a device about 180 feet in circumference.. that is a diameter of about sixty feet.. Wow.. Now, I like her idea. How to create the zoetrope and set it up.. on a parking lot or field??    Wow.. I get distracted..   That's a project for another time.  Another way to do it is to set the zoetrope up and have folks ride bikes or skate around it while observing the images .. uh oh. the images would have to be bigger.. arrrg.

So! For those of you with fathers:  love the guy with all your heart and know that if it was not for him, we would not be having this conversation!  

June 19, 2016

Michael Sheehan

John's son.