alex moseley :: life, revisited

...And Where I Lost It: 20 April 2007

It hadn't happened in a day
But over the sleepless nights
The fruitless weeks and wasted efforts
That spanned the arid months.
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"True perfection seems imperfect, yet it is perfectly itself."
- Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Antiques and economic impact: 17 April 2007 - There is an interesting juxtaposition in consumer culture. Consider that the goal of marketers is to convince you that what you have is inadequate and what they have is much better. Even if what you have today came from the same marketers, what they have today is "new and improved", such that you now should replace what you have with what they have to sell you. If we follow that syllogism to its logical conclusion, we find ourselves filling landfill after landfill with otherwise usefull objects. Click here to continue...
life, revisited... and relaunched: 04 April 2007 - In a late-night caffeine fit, I redesigned my website. I wanted to take the opportunity to relaunch my website and encourage you to look around. I've added a lot of content in the past year. Take a look and send some feedback!
Display Shelf: 03 March 2007 - Display shelf in quartersawn white oak with walnut accents. Finished in blonde shellac.
Serving Tray: 03 March 2007 - A serving tray of quartersawn oak with dovetailed sides.
Arts and Crafts Night Stands: 03 March 2007 - I built these night stands as a learning project, under my father's guidance.
Acknowledgements and Inspiration: 03 March 2007 - "If I have seen further it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." - Sir Isaac Newton
life in wood: 02 March 2007 - ...There's something elemental about wood. It can be structural; it can be shaped to a form that offers both utility and beauty, and the very quality that gives it structural strength - the fibers, like flower stems in a child's fist - also give wood its internal beauty...
constructive interference: 02 March 2007 - Physics describes what happens when two waves come together. The result is called interference, and it can be either destructive or constructive. This is not so different from what we experience in day-to-day life.
Welcome to the world, Isaac!: 22 November 2006 - Fresh pics added of the baby and the proud parents.
17 November 2006 - I'm an uncle again!
the ups and downs of creativity: 15 November 2006 - In my shop are tetering stacks of unfinished projects from the past year...
It's Good, I'm Told: 07 September 2006 - The Zen goal of "no-mind" is pursued through zazen: sitting in lotus position and focusing your awareness on the body's breath, in and out. Sometimes, knowing isn't enough.
In Remembrance of Bakelite: 24 August 2006 - Ah, the lost art of writing letters. Some of us still wait for the postman to deliver them, and feel somehow empty every time he passes by.
a new introduction: 16 August 2006 - I've added a new introduction to my poetry, with an updated statement and a new poem, "do I dare?", that illustrates my goal as a poet.
The Barn: 16 August 2006 - Driving along the interstate into the middle of Missouri, there are plenty of sites, both mundane and sublime.
painting the front door: 15 August 2006 - It's been a few weeks since I've posted anything out here. Other parts of my life have taken precedence, including...
Inspiration: 14 July 2006 - I approached the topic of inspiration as a way of recording the places and images that have inspired me over the years...
Sleeping and dreaming: 21 June 2006 - ...I wish I had all day to create. There's not enough time in the day with everything else. As far as creative agenda goes, job one is to clear my plate of distractions...
Taking a break: 13 June 2006 - This afternoon I finished a project that was overdue when I was assigned it. As soon as I finished it, I left work and just went walking. I decided to investigate a downtown area near work. After nearly eight years of working for the same company, I had been down this way only a couple of times...
You could call it Providence...: 05 June 2006 - ...Okay, so to stay within my own comfort zone, I'll just accept it as the natural order of the Universe. Let me just say that the Universe has been shouting this month. No matter whose voice you assign to it, there is no mistaking the message...
The Universe conspires in my favor: 02 June 2006 - I took a lunch break today and went to my local hardwood dealer - one of the best hours I've spent this week. I got to look at wood, getting ideas and forgetting where I'd just come from. The guy who works the showroom is a really friendly guy named Mark. Mark calls everybody 'Bub' or 'Chief', greets everyone as they come in the door, and checks on everyone at least once to see if they need help...
Inspiration in a teacup: 07 May 2006 - For the better part of a week, I'd been searching for a teacup. Something I could take to work, something that would not be mass-produced or corporate-branded. I wanted a yunomi, a Japanese teacup with no handle. Smaller than the chawan used in the tea ceremony, the yunomi is more personal...
Welcome to this humble tea house.: 02 May 2006 - After about five years, I went about the task of redesigning my web site...
A life revisited: 01 May 2006 - I've redesigned this space with one thought in mind: It's not about making a living, it's about living a life...
Better things to do: 20 April 2006 - ...I wanted it to show mostly heartwood with a streak of sapwood, with the grain accentuating the shape. I wanted polished endgrain, soft friendly edges, and a shape that felt natural and inviting in the hand. So I start carving...

life, revisited

...observations on the creative life.