Happy New Year

An update on the white landscape looking thingy’s.....

I'm following up on a blog entry that i did back on August 2, 2007
It was about those little white tent/landscape thingy's all over the east side.
Here's a link to the pictures I took of them and where they are located on a google map.Google Map

Well, I still haven't figured out what they are.
But it's turning in to an interesting story.

First, a recount of all the theories I've heard so far.
1) Some study by the DNR or City of Madison. Who knows what the study is about, but some sort of study.
2) UW student art project.
3) Asian Lady-Beetle (or Gypsy Moth) trap.
4) Protection for saplings planted underneath them. (I didn't see any saplings there, but who knows)
5) Model landscapes ot aid in Alien Landings.
6) Gnome tents (I rather like that one.... I admit, i'm tempted to wach for a sale on garden gnomes somewhere and buy one for each tent thingy I've seen)
7) Chipmunk Beer tents. (I don't buy in to this one... if chipmunks had beer tents I think they'd have more colour)
8) Something that forms a visible pattern form the sky? (Seriously, I saw this in an email thread)
9) Something tied in to the GPS coordinates of each landscape-tent-type-thingy. (whoa....)
10) Utility Facilities (this was one the email string that was sent around amongst city departments)
11) Some wiccan thing. I'm a little fuzzy on the detals of this theory. But it changes my mental image of wiccan practioners. Gone are the half naked earth godesses dancing around fires.... here instead are abstract artists who work with plaster and wire frames.

So I sent an email to the city a while back.
I just did a search for city of madison, and sent it to about every email address i could find.
I mostly expected to be brushed off, or politely told to "go the hell away".
But surprisingly they seemed curious too.
They sent the email around to the departments I'd missed, but no one had any idea.

The best part of the email string is where they loose the sense of scale in the pictures I attached.

Instead of thinking of them as little waist-high recreations of landscapes, they thought of them as very large structures that could shelter vehicles.

But by the end of the summer the emails died down, and even though we still drive by them every time we get groceries, I'd pretty much forgotten about the mystery.

Then I got a call and an email from Chris the reporter at the Wisconsin State Journal.

"Christopher: I'm a reporter with the State Journal. I've reviewed the correspondence copied below and spoken with the city about these structures you reportedly found.The city believes you probably put them there and then reported them, and they took the whole thing as a joke (they don't appear to be angry about it).I'm interested in talking to you about this for a story.
Chris"

Ah-ha!

Someone else has become obsessed as well! (Or they were assigned the story, and didn't really have a choice in the matter, i'm not sure which it is).

And the best, part...and this tickles me fukkin' pink....the City has come to the conclusion that I'm the creator responsible!

Is that some strange version "whoever smelt it dealt it"?

I spoke to Chris the Reporter on the phone tonight, and I think there's a story in the works. And he has many-many more resources at his disposal than I do.

So I've go tthe feeling that now that he's looking in to it, the mystery is that much closer to being solved.

Now that my curiosity has been rekindled, I'm thinking about leaving little notes just saying "did you make these? ...just curious" and my email address by a few of them.

Does that take me across the line from amusingly curious and straight into "creepily obsessed" though?

okay...
the update is done.
I'm going to digress on boring things now....
Go read something else.

For me, this has been sort of a lesson in following threads. I've always believed that there are threads of inter-connectivity laying in plain sight all around us.

We just train ourselves to ignore them. We see things that are amazing and maybe a little magical around us every day. But we're always late for work, or stuck in our cars, or tired and stressed and just wanting to get home to out TVs. Do you know how many times we drove past those damn things.... how many times I'd say to Sarah "I wonder what those are, I wonder how I could find out what they are for."

How many times she'd say "you should call the city, or post something online."

Until finally I said "fuck it, I'm going to take some pictures, and send some emails."

And it's been interesting. It's been a very interesting little journey.

But I wonder how many other mysteries there are like that that I'm still missing every single day. How many of those little threads I pass all the time because I'm too busy with the mundane to give the magical a chance.

My nickname for instance... my online alter ego. "Johnny Panic"
I can count the number of people on one hand who have recognized that reference.
So what are the odds that the reporter (Chris the Reporter) who picks up this story, is one of the very rare few who recognizes the reference? I could list others, but after a bit I start to sound a little nutty... a little more nutty. And anyways.. they are my threads... go find your own :)

I'm jaded... and cynical... and becoming a grumpy old man.
I don't believe in much.
And with every passing day I believe in a little less.
But I do believe in the inter-connectivity.
And I believe that we should pick up those threads when we see them.
Follow them when we can.
And enjoy the trips they take us on when we make an effort to tug on them a bit.

At the Olbrich Botanical Gardens

This is just a picture I like.
I can't even take credit for it (Sarah took it, she's the frikkin' Macro setting Queeen).

for real?

So there's this billboard that i pass when I drive in to work.

I caught my eye (I guess that means it was effective, right?)

And it made me curious. Not to buy a product, or visit a store, but just trying to figure out what the heck it meant. What was it supposed to stand for.



It's not a great picture, here let me zoom in a bit.



Still not the best, sorry.

It says "They murdered 50 million babies... Now they can't figure out marriage! Where are the real Christians? 1-877-YRU-REAL"

And I'm wondering, is it that obvious?
Or is it really good sarcasm?
Who are these 50 million babies they speak of?
The medical journal The Lancet puts the civilian Iraqi death toll at 655,000 since the invasion or Iraq. But that's not nearly 50 million. (yes, I'm being intentionally obtuse)

And who is this "they" that can't figure out marriage. I mean since marriage was written into laws, there-by taking it from just a religious ceremony and instead turning it in to a legal status with licensing and official documents and everything, it seems like a lot of effort has been put into "figuring it out". I mean sure, we had some problems... remember back when two consenting adults of different races couldn't legally marry? But we ironed that out. (By the way, what about that phrase, "legally marry". How many times do you hear "they're legally married" versus "they're biblically married"?)

And sure, maybe we've got a bit more to iron out, but I've got faith that the next generation is going to put it right, and soon any two consenting adults (unrelated of course) will be able to legally marry each other.

And where are the real christians? Well. From the firs ttime I saw that it reminded me of a da on State Street.

We were walking along, the sun was shining, the dapple shadows played across the sidewalk and all that usual crap. We had Babcock hall ice cream on the mind, so we weren't dilly-dallying.

Up ahead there was a bit of a ruccous. A man in a suit and tie on a street corner with a sandwich board yelling "we are all sinners! we are all damned to hell!" at everyone that went by. Most people avoided him, the unlucky few who wandered too close were handed a little blue pamphlet that probably told them that by going to this guys church, they'd be able to avoid hell.

We crossed the street and walked under tha shade of the awnings.

We passed a restaurant almost directly across from annoying-yelling-your-a-sinner guy, and there were two priests eating lunch. Slumped down in their chairs, and obviously trying hard not to be noticed. I might be projecting, but I'm pretty sure that one of them was even purposely keeping his chin as far down as he could to hide his collar.

What we didn't see were the volunteers two blocks off state street at the homeless shelter making sandwiches.
We didn't see the bus quietly pulling away from the church sending a group of people down to New Orleans to lend any help they could.

So whenthe sign asks me, "where are the real Christians" I think i might know. They aren't wearing sandwich boards or yelling at passers-by. They aren't hanging vile signs from over passes or telling you who god hates. They are working quietly to try to make the lives of other people better. But you might miss them, mostly because they don't think it's important to point out that they are christians. No buttons, no signs, no shouting. They kinda think that if their actions don't show it, that any words pleading it would be worthless. I wonder where they got that idea....

Maybe the people with the billboard are genuinely curious, maybe they really can't find them.

So finally, today, I took a picture, and googled that phone number.

I found a website.

But here's the thing.
Now I really don't know if it's a well played joke or not.

They are called the Remnant, or something. Here's there page.

Check out the Pastors names
Pastor Kevin and wife Toni Sinnen
Pastor Chet and wife Karen Schmear

Seriously?
Pastor Sinnens and Pastor Schmears?
That seems a little suspicious.

And the Pastors email address
4sinnenless@asapnet.net

Come on... that's gotta be a joke, right?

But as I read further... it sorta seems like maybe they are serious.

But those pictures...

And quotes like this
"We are expected to obey God's Biblical guidelines for proper Christian behavior, hair, and dress.
See GOD CARES ABOUT YOUR HAIR, and WHO WEARS THE PANTS Bible studies below."


I don't know if I'm amused, sickened, or frightened.

I know! I'll take it as an opportunity to try inserting a poll in m blog for the first time ever!

14 Characteristics of Fascism

Bush vs Zombies

I've always suspected...

But now I've got proof



She's all that and a bag o' chips.