Monday, August 21, 2006

the upsidedown house: the story

It was a nice night out last. I came home after a reunion of FIASCO at the Plex by way of bike and started thinking about this blog and how I want to approach it. So, now that I am back at the SW home I'm staying at I think I'll begin my blog here and transfer this tomorrow. It begins not in a Pine filled back yard at midnight in Detroit listening to the crickets and looking up towards faint stars, but in hope.

It was a hot Detroit August . Sometimes, like the Sunday before so many schools started (earlier and earlier it seems) the air smelled like charcoal lighter fluid. The next day for me had little to nothing to do with school other than my new house was very near one. This particular school is intended to help girls who have children or one on the way stay in school, and it is attached to a farm. Yes, I said a farm. There is a small scale urban farm near the house I am restoring, resuscitating, rescuing, and renovating. I have named it the Upsidedown House, after the collective Upsidedown Culture I once was a part of, and because the state of the house might as well be described as upsidedown. Sorta, a microsm for society.

With stairs you can't turn the house upsidedown and still use them, but a ladder on the other hand... Right now I use a ladder. I have no stairs, nor kitchen floor, plumbing, heat, insulation in my walls, or back door. I do have boards on all the downstairs windows, most of the wiring, switches, outlets and fixtures in place, an old pear tree, 2 stray cats that I don't want, and a lot of work to do.

This blog is the story of how a poet radical activist with no money because he works for himself creates a place to be, a home. It happens by way of spirit and willpower-to walk the walk, if you will. I want to do things different than how I see them. I want to build walls and my shelter with available resources here, in Detroit, think about renewable energy, my environment, not spend so much money and inspire others towards a passionate and dangerous existence. This blog is basically home repair as revolution. Or is that revolution as home repair? Enjoy.

2 Comments:

At 8:33 PM , Blogger rascal said...

this is actually rascal's human here. glad to see you've got the blog working. FIASCO re-union?- keep me posted- i used to be in that band, and i think i might still be, i'm not sure...it IS a fiasco, after all. put some pictures up on the blog- if you're not sure how, i can show you. i'm hoping to be doing a similar house project, and maybe a blog to go with it. oh, and rascal wanted me to remind you that you might not want those cats, but apparently they want you, or at least they want to hang around your house, and chase mice.

 
At 6:29 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think it is truely amazing the work you are doing on your new old house. You are helping to make our city a better place to life. You inspire me everyday. thank you!

 

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