Chimpanzees are like us

Jane Goodall is so adorable, so fluidly moving between conversations with adults and kids. Today, I made a video of her, and in between her and the extra adorable 11-year-olds at the Portland French School, I could've just died:

Jane Goodall speaks at the Portland French School

Shake your fists

My cousin's band played in Portland:












Listen:

Under the big top

I really tried to make a better video than I normally make. Let me know what y'all think:

The Circus Project from Casey Parks on Vimeo.

Nine months ago, Jenn Cohen dropped her dreams off at a bus stop in Yachats.

That followed a winter weekend that was supposed to be a benchmark for Cohen and the non-profit she runs, which teaches circus skills to homeless and at-risk youth. The Circus Project was low on money, but the students were becoming great performers. Cohen took them to the coast to write their first performance.

But two days into the retreat, Cohen discovered that three students had been doing drugs -- a violation of company rules.

"How could you do this?" Cohen asked, crying.

After a sleepless night, she delivered the news: I'm sending you back to Portland. When she dropped them off at the bus stop, the group was six months old. The three offenders had helped create the program and made up half the troupe.

How could she go forward without them?

Read the rest on the Oregonian's Web site

Turns out summer IS still here

Also, Quentin and I made the best sandwiches:

My stuff: Quentin

Quentin explains his choices:

1. Sennheiser 280 Pro headphones -- I've always liked music, but I live in a noisy apartment next to the Interstate, so having noise-canceling headphones is important. They sound amazing, but they look really, really geeky on.

2. collaged table -- I bought the table at Goodwill for $10, but the surface was beat up. I spent three or four months during my freshman year collaging the top of it.

3. 1983 Centurion LeMans RS bicycle -- When my mountain bike was stolen, I wanted something thinner and faster. Bikes are like couches and kids: There are already too many in the world, so you should buy them off Craigslist. I do have a feeling, though, that the guy I bought this one from on Craigslist may have stolen it, which makes me sad.

4. painting of San Francisco Church and Catacombs in Lime Peru -- A friend of mine who is a photograph took the photo this is based on while traveling in Central America. Then she painted the picture when she got home.

5. Emigre Magazine(s) -- They started publication basically the same month that the Apple computer came out. They're design magazines. A teacher/mentor recommended them to me in college, and ever since, I've been collecting them.

6. collage notebook -- I've always enjoyed collages. A couple years ago, I started this notebook after having a similar one in college. Once every week or two, I sit down and do a few pages. It's like a private journal that I can show to the world. People see one thing, but they mean something different to me. They hold specific stories for me, but no one else picks up on them because they don't know the contexts.

7. Canon AE-1 -- I learned how to shoot photos on this camera, which a high school friend gave me.

8. 1967 Magnavox Astro-sonic HiFi record player -- For a couple years, I wanted one to play old records on. This is one of the first that they made that was solid state, so I won't have to replace any tubes. It came up on Craigslist for $50 a couple of blocks from my house.

9. Big American flag -- Ryan Adams reissued his first three albums on vinyl recently. Around the same time, I moved into a new apartment. I liked the way the bedroom on the back of Gold looks, so I decided to recreate it. I found a cheap flag on eBay.

10. Q -- That same friend sent me a letter in the mail.




***Eds note: Some of the images are courtesy of Q, who scanned them in for nicer lookin'

A new, collaborative blog

Some Portland friends and I have started new blog. The basic gist is every week or two there'll be an assignment, and anyone who wants can submit one. Some of the assignments will be photo-based. Some will be drawing. Others will be writing. One might be to record a sound.

Anyway, check out the inaugural posts. Our first assignment was to pick a song lyric then photograph something to illustrate it: http://www.wouldyoujumprope.com/

You can RSS it, but if you do, the pictures don't show up in it for some reason. So make sure you go to the actual site.

The new assignment will be up soon. Contribute!

On walking away from something you really like

Kanye West -- Streetlights

Mirah -- Don't Go

The Quantrells -- Can't You Let Break My Heart

Neutral Milk Hotel -- Gardenhead