As many of you know by now, I’ve recently been interested in uncovering never before considered historical records relating to how the term “transgender” evolved over the years.

One often-cited source, claims:

As far as we can see, Virginia first used the term ‘transgenderal’ in print in 1969. She does not seem to have used the term in print again. In 1978 she changed the term to ‘transgenderist’ and this then became her preferred lexical compound of the ‘trans- ‘ + ‘gend-’ type.

Now it is important to grasp that Virginia is a forthright lady. She considers her usage to be consistent, clear and necessary. Those of us who don’t agree with her have ‘got it wrong’! Theoretically, she is convinced that her sharp distinction between sex and gender is correct. She considers any other use of the term ‘transgender’ to be confused, confusing or wrong.

We agree that her usage is consistent, although on a personal level she seems to have found it difficult to maintain the strict separation between sex and gender – notably in regard to her female hormone intake and breast development. However, to us, the significance and importance of her position lie in its consequences.

- Dr. Richard Elkins, 2004

As a recent article I wrote for the Bilerico Project demonstrably proves, multiple sources were using derivations (or perhaps independently constructed? – could someone research please?) of the term Virginia is credited for creating. Dr. Elkins states that “transgenderal” evolved into “transgenderist” in 1978.

As I’ve shown, the term “trans-gender” was used in the following ways:

• 1975, the term is used to refer to rock star Alice Cooper (1)
• 1979, Christine Jorgensen, rejects “transsexual” for the term “trans-gender” (2, 3, 4)
• 1988, the term is used to refer to transsexual people (5, 6)

Additionally, the term “transgender” was used in the following ways:

• 1971, art critic uses the term to in his review of a play (7)
• 1974, the term is used to refer to transsexual surgery (8)
• 1975,  linguist uses the term in reference to non-gender specific pronouns (9)
• 1982, author of scientific paper assumes reader to be familiar with term (10)
• 1984, term is used to refer to fashion (11, 12, 13)
• 1985, Christine Jorgensen, rejects “transsexual” for the term “transgender” (14, 15, 16)

Lastly, the term “transgendered” was used in the following way:

• 1970, in reference to the movie "Myra Breckinridge" (17, 18)

Until recently, those engaging in the debates concerning the term “transgender” had never before had the opportunity to consider the above historical records or their implications.

Today while rooting around in the Transgender Archive, I found a new source that is germane to the generally accepted narrative of the term’s etiology.

Consider the following:

The TV-TS Tapestry, 1984

Consider the context with which the terms “transgender” and “transgender community” are used in this 1984 trans community article:

The ‘Origins’ and ‘Cures’ for Transgender Behavior

by Roger E. Peo, PhD

Just about every transgendered person I have ever talked to or heard about had at some time or or another been very concerned about how s/he ‘got that way’. For some it is an obsession – to find out at all cost – why they feel the way they do. Others have an equally strong drive to ‘cure’ their behavior and stop the feelings of wanting, sometimes, to be the ‘other’ sex. The  reasons for these driven searches are many fold. In some cases it is to ‘please’ a partner who is unable to deal with a behavior that seems so at odds with what society considers ‘normal’. Others find the dichotomy between their physical being and their mental/emotional state is so painful that relief, in any form seems better than existing  in some never-never world. Most transgender situations where there is pain seem to be ones in which the person has not been able to resolve the ‘split’ in their existence.

Almost any book one chooses to read on the subject offers some explanation on the origin of transgender feelings. One theory says that prenatal hormonal effects sensitize the individual so that a later environmental situation will trigger the latent transgender feelings. Another theory says that early environmental and/or social situations ‘force’ the individual into the behavior. There is no evidence that any of there theories explain ALL the various types of transgender behavior that have been observed. It is not even clear whether transvestism and transsexualism are different aspects of the same phenomenon or completely different phenomena. A new book, Sex and the Brain by Durden-Smith and Desimone does not deal…

… directly with transgender behaviors, but the authors do offer same interesting speculation on human sexuality. The main theme of the book is that male and female brains are structurally and functionally different. These differences seem broader and more deeply ingrained in humans than had been suspected. It is hypothesized that these dissimilarities were, and still are, necessary for the two different reproductive functions that males and females perform. If evolution and research are any indicators, these disparate functions have been enhanced as humans evolved to their present state of development. It can be shown (in lower mammals) that these different brain structures can be achieved by altering hormone levels in critical periods during gestation. As a result, genetic males can be given varying degrees of female brain structure and genetic females can be given varying degrees of male brain structure. Either will then function in a manner more like the other sex.

From there research results on could draw the conclusion that transgender feelings are a result of prenatal alteration of an individual’s brain toward the other sex’s structure even though the obvious biological characteristics of the individual do appear to be different from people who do not have transgender feelings rather than an environmental/social one.

Suppose all of the foregoing assumptions/theories are correct? – SO WHAT? How does that help the adult (or even teenage) transgender person? It is far too late to change (physically) the brain structures  that ‘cause’ the ‘problem’, even if we had the slightest idea of how to go about it. The real problem, as I see it,  is our society’s unwillingness to accept forms of behavior that fall outside of the stereotypical ‘normal’ male and female models. Not all societies on this earth are so rigid – but again, that doesn’t help the person with transgender feelings. To change our society requires broad and in-depth general education on human sexuality that begins with our children and teaches more than reproductive facts. Until this happens, the transgender person will still be ostracized and misunderstood. They will perceive themselves as misfits and heap upon themselves much guilt and rejection. Is there a realistic solution given the the above situations? Yes! Most of what has to be done has to be done by the transgendered person with help from others in the transgender community. First, such a person has to stop looking for a scapegoat – whether that scapegoat is a biological structure or a societal structure. If her/his biology really causes the ‘problem’, short of reassignment surgery, there is not much that can be done. If society is the issue, then choices are few and most will opt to stay in the society they know, even if it rejects them. As a result, one has to ‘pick themselves up by their bootstraps’ and see themselves as worthy, responsible and lovable human beings. This can not be accomplished alone and that is where the community comes in. Through organizations such as the Tiffany Club and concerned professionals, the person who is struggling with transgender feelings can begin to put aside the guilt and fear, then go on to find the unique solution for their own life that provides them relief from the pain while not hurting those around them.

The above sounds simplistic – but it isn’t. Coming to terms with yourself and seeing yourself as a person of worth is probably the most difficult ‘birth’ that any human being ever makes. In the end, it is the cure that is truly possible, for the only person we can really change is ourself.

Questions:

• Note the way in which the author assumes that the reader understands the term; is it significant that in 1984 the author assumes that the definition of “transgender’” is already fully formed the the reader’s mind?
• How do the ideas of this 1984 article mirror ideas found within the “transgender community” today?
• In what way does this historical record fit the historical narratives favored by some in the TS separatist movement?
• Might one consider this article representative of one branch in the term’s evolutionary process?

Note the variant uses of the term:

• Transgender community
• Transgender  feelings
• Transgendered person
• Transgender behavior

Note that the author seems to be using the term in a way that is generally thought to exist only in the post-1990s era:

There is no evidence that any of there theories explain ALL the various types of transgender behavior that have been observed. It is not even clear whether transvestism and transsexualism are different aspects of the same phenomenon or completely different phenomena.

The author seems to be using the term “transgender” to refer to all the constituent groupings captured under the “transvestism and transsexualism” taxonomy. Is this particular context from 1984 represented in the way the term is generally used today?

Chronological and Etiological Considerations

From whence comes the word “transgender”?

• Dr. Richard Elkins dates the creation of the word “transgenderist” at 1978
• Webster dictionary dates the word “transgender” at 1979
• Dictionary.com dates the word “transgender” at “1990-95”

How do these official reference points reflect the historical record? My research shows that as early as the year 1970 the term was used by non-trans news media to describe a movie about a supposed transsexual. Knowing this, is it still appropriate to claim that Virginia Prince coined the term?

Consider the following from an article in which Prince is interviewed:

In her view, if you’re not a transsexual, you’re a transgenderist – a term she coined and uses to identify herself. In fact, she considers sexual reassignment surgery a mistake for anyone, and doesn’t really understand one’s identification with transsexuality.

Additionally, the incredibly informative website “A Gender Variance Who’s Who” states:

It is sometimes said that Prince coined the term ‘transgender’. What she actually coined was ‘transgenderist’ for a heterosexual transvestite who goes full time. This is by structure and by meaning significantly different from the word ‘transgender’ which we now use.

It is obvious that Prince’s use of her 1978 (Can anyone corroborate/disprove Dr. Elkins’ date through another source please?) word is not consistent with the way the media used the term in 1970, how it was used by in theatrical circles in 1971, how it was used by the medical community (to refer to transsexual surgery) in 1974, the way linguists used it to reference non-gender specific pronouns or the way it was used to describe a gender-atypical rock star in 1975, or the way a post-op transsexual woman used it in 1979. Did the term truly originate with Prince or is it more accurate to state that Prince’s word “transgenderist” was perhaps only one evolutionary branch of the term’s actual etiology?

Historical Document Disclaimer:

As I continue to publish historical documents relevant to the debates going on around the term transgender, I will include this disclaimer in hopes that it will cut down on having my position strawmaned to death.

The ideas found within the transgender community came from somewhere; they didn’t magically pop into existence on January 1, 1990. My intent in making these historical records accessible is to dispel some historical inaccuracies some within the TS-not-TG group popularize. I continuously find ideas that are purported to have originated within the so-called “transgender Borg”/“slave master” community sometime in the early 1990s and which was then supposedly thrust upon an unsuspecting transsexual community were in fact, championed by transsexuals and others prior to 1990.

I find that I agree with practically everything those in the moderate TS-not-TG group assert with only one major exception: Many assert that the “transgender umbrella” idea doesn’t refer to a group of unique allies who find unity in a common cause. In fact, most transsexuals do not feel that the we should be segregated away from all of our allies in our continued fight for equality and, as these historical record continue to reveal, transsexual people of history did not seem to possess a need to rip the transsexual community away from other communities to go it alone.

For a view that very closely resembles my own views on this issue, check out The Death of the “Transgender Umbrella” by Mercedes Allen. My reservations about this article are summed up nicely within the comment section by Dr. Jillian Weiss:

Great article, but you can’t create a movement to “not be transgender.” Critique is valuable, but by itself, it can only alter an existing movement, not build one of its own. Movements have to be for something. If we could create a viable “transsexual movement,” I’m for it. But it is unlikely that such a movement can occur at this point in time. Very unlikely. Although I agree with the idea on a theoretical basis, I don’t think it will ever go beyond talk.

So, if you take Allen’s article and combine it with what Weiss had to add, you’d have a near perfect representation of my views about the TS-not-TG debate.

I continue to hear from a small group that the transsexual community fell victim and was assimilated into a “transgender Borg collective”. They claim that transsexuals never wanted to be allies in a diverse community of people of non-cisgender history, experience and/or expression. They claim that real transsexuals never want non-transsexual people to regard them as being anything but just another cisgender person. They frequently claim that non-transsexual people came up with the idea of carving out some third sex that would come to represent transsexual people:

A major faction of the transgender dictatorship seeks the deconstruction of the dichotomy of human sexuality and abolish the sex binary of male and female to suit a minute portion of the population and to create a legal classification of persons other than female or male that some call a third gender (sex)…

Recently I’ve felt it important to begin publishing what transsexuals had to say about engineering what would become known as the “gender community” in the 70s and early 80s and become the “transgender community” in the late 1980s.

Here is what is purported to be our nation’s first national transsexual rights organizations had to say about building a community of people of non-cisgender history, experience and/or expression in order to fight for common purpose:

Looking Toward the Future

by Cynthia Platt

1972

As TAO secretary I would like to discuss how a transexual should approach like – both before and after surgery. Firstly, the transexual must give some thought to the future, and what kind of a life the person wants to live. Most pre-operative and many transvestites want to have surgery, but being a “post-operative transexual” also isn’t all there is to it. It also means trying to find acceptance in society as a normal happening – a member of a true third sex. We must all work towards improving the legal aspects of our lives, and try to end the attitudes which will not permit us to be teachers or nurses. Someday we will have more access to the political structure and take part in it as candidates and seek elective offices.

In order to do all of this, we must co-operate with each other, and not turn against each other in our desperation. The TAO is one of many organizations helping all transexuals and transvestites, and is all of us can join together there goals will be accomplished sooner. We should also reach out to non-transexuals so that can understand us better.

The reason so many transexuals become drug addicts and suicidal is not only because the rejection be society but that government services are also often denied to us – help of any kind. There are government programs for addicts, alcoholics, mentally retarded, physically handicapped, but really none for us and some of us need the help. Transexuals and transvestites have a lot of talent which society has lost because society will not let us in political affairs, but prejudice denied me a complete education and the super-discrimination against us is far worse than that against people because of their race or religion It might seem impossible that we will ever overcome these prejudices. I hope that in the near future there will be many collective efforts for those who would like to achieve greater status in society and we can help build one to provide many services for our people.

As you read the above statement, think about what you’ve head from the transgender community over the past 20 years. TAO was our nation’s leading transsexual organization and eventually spread into several other countries. In fact, Stephen Whittle was very active with the British chapter of TAO. 
 

Historical Document Disclaimer:

As I continue to publish historical documents relevant to the debates going on around the term transgender, I will include this disclaimer in hopes that it will cut down on having my position strawmaned to death.

The ideas found within the transgender community came from somewhere; they didn’t magically pop into existence on January 1, 1990. My intent in posting these historical documents is to dispel some historical inaccuracies some within the TS-not-TG group continues to popularize. I continuously find ideas that are purported to have originated within the so-called “transgender Borg”/“slave master” community sometime in the early 1990s and which was then supposedly thrust upon an unsuspecting transsexual community were in fact, championed by transsexuals leaders prior to 1990.

I find that I agree with practically everything those in the moderate TS-not-TG group claim with one exception. Many assert that the “transgender umbrella” idea doesn’t refer to a group of unique allies who find unity in a common cause; rather, many in the TS-not-TG group simply assert that the term “transgender” robs all transsexuals of their unique experience. In fact, most transsexuals do not feel that the we should be segregated away from all of our allies in our continued fight for equality and, as these historical documents continue to reveal, transsexual people of history do not see a need to rip the transsexual community away from other communities to go it alone.

For a view that very closely resembles my own views on this issue, check out The Death of the “Transgender Umbrella” by Mercedes Allan. My reservations about this article are summed up nicely within the comment section by Dr. Jillian Weiss:

Great article, but you can’t create a movement to "not be transgender." Critique is valuable, but by itself, it can only alter an existing movement, not build one of its own. Movements have to be for something. If we could create a viable "transsexual movement," I’m for it. But it is unlikely that such a movement can occur at this point in time. Very unlikely. Although I agree with the idea on a theoretical basis, I don’t think it will ever go beyond talk.

So, if you take Allan’s article and combine it with what Weiss had to add, you’d have an almost perfect representation of my views concerning the TS-not-TG debate.

Olivewood Cemetery is located just off I-10 and White Oak Bayou right next to a store called Party Boy. The neglected grave yard is supposedly haunted.

Red arrow points to grave yard

With exposed human remains of ex slaves and thicket covered graves, it is no wonder Houstonians have spun ghost stories about this place for generations.

Two graves in the middle of the woods

Forgotten grave site

A cemetery angel

There are a number of unmarked graves in the cemetery. Before the land was purchased in 1875 by Houston’s first black alderman Richard Brock (who is buried in Olivewood), the land had been used as a slave burial ground.

Pivotal leaders if Houston’s post-emancipation African-American community are buried in the Olivewood Cemetery. For instance, Rev. Elias Dibble (pastor of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church) is buried in Olivewood. Rev. Dibble had lived as a slave before becoming the first black Methodist minister in the country.

Basically, Olivewood represents a Who’s Who of influential African-American Houstonians in the post-slavery era of Texas. Businessman James B. Bell, attorney J. Vance Lewis, the first principal of Jack Yates High School (which was the 2nd black school in Houston) James D. Ryan and “the singing dentist” Milton A. Baker are all buried in Olivewood. Incidentally, Dr. Baker wrote Houston’s official bicentennial song.

Two overgrown grave headstones

Lone headstone in the woods

Four graves in the woods

Work is being done to reclaim the historic cemetery from nature.  By chance, I got to speak with a descendant of one of the people buried in the cemetery, Charles Cook. Cook was at the cemetery by himself mowing and doing some weeding. I spent some time talking with him about the history of Olivewood and filmed the last bit of our conversation. Cook happens to be on the Board of Directors for a 501c3 nonprofit that is trying to restore the cemetery. They have a PayPal donation button. I encourage you to give what you can

Seven gravestones

Grave without a headstone

Lone headstone in the woods

A now-defunct City of Houston newsletter called “City Savvy” had this to say about the alleged hauntings:

Over the years, there have been numerous reports of mysterious after-dark sightings and strange movements within the graveyard.

Louis Aulbach, a Finance and Administration division manager, heard those stories while working on his soon-to-be-completed book, “Buffalo Bayou: An Echo of Houston’s Wilderness Beginnings.”

“But I remain skeptical,” he said. “It seems people think a cemetery should be haunted, so they make it so. But if they want to scare themselves silly with stories, it’s up to them.”

Cathi Bunn, a paranormal investigator, began exploring Olivewood in 1999. One moonlit midnight, Bunn said she videotaped the ghost of Mary White, buried in 1888, hovering above her headstone.

Intrigued by the anecdotes, Williams stayed late Halloween night, 2004.

“Only haunting I saw were from two big field mice,” she said.

Haunted or not, Aulbach said the important thing is for people to know about Olivewood and its significance.

As noted above, at least one ghost hunter believes to have caught an actual Olivewood ghost on film. In the photo, you can see what looks like fog. This mist is purported to be the ghost of Mary White.

One of two lion heads in the cemetery

Headless figure

Another graveyard angel

The cemetery features obelisks, statuary, curbing and interior fencing. The burial ground also includes examples of pre-emancipation burial practices, including upright pipes (symbolizing the path between the worlds of the living and the dead), ocean shells as grave ornaments and text containing upside down or backwards letters (as used in some West African cultures to signify death).

If you are interested in some of the remnants of Houston’s black history, check out my photo-essay of Freedman’s Town in the Fourth Ward – which is the location of our nation’s most serious race riot.

Huntsville, Texas locals refer to the road that leads to a small 1800s graveyard as “Demon Road.” Supposedly, some people report seeing hovering red lights traveling down the road. Others report that have been pushed and shoved by invisible hands on their way to the cemetery.

Bowden Road, AKA "Demon Road"

At the end of this road lies Martha Chapel Cemetery. Doing a google search returns all sorts of ghost stories about this little grave yard. People report seeing full body apparitions, some of which like to follow you home.

In 1985, the people of Huntsville became convinced that a nefarious coven of devil worshipers were calling up demons at the cemetery. Apparently the County Sheriff even went to the local high school and warned the kids to stay away from the road for their own safety. Hence the name, “Demon Road”.

Martha's Chapel Cemetery

Benjamin W. Robinson, b. May 10, 1812 d. Jul. 21, 1875

Sarah Ann Jenkins, d May 16, 1859

R. P. Stone, b. Jun. 23, 1812 d. Oct. 13, 1867

I didn’t see any demons or ghosts and there’s no invisible hitchhiker helping me to write this. While I didn’t find any phantoms, I did find a spot just outside the cemetery gates where someone had built a large fire. I also found lots of tire tracks and beer cans. Personally, I think this is a place where young people from a small town come to scare each other and to prove themselves by vandalizing the cemetery. So, my guess is that the most frightening thing one might encounter at night is a bored teenager with a cooler full of beer.

Here are two different ”ghost hunter” videos investigating the area.

1.) The better of the two. They basically stand around until they find a snake. The spookiest thing they find is that road dust stuck to their truck. Seriously. Click here.

2.) This “investigation” is a joke and is only funny because the ghost hunter is serious. He uses what he calls a “Ghost Box” to talk to ghosts. If you don’t pull a facepalm when you see what this ghost box actually is, you get a point. Click here.

The area was originally called “Robinson’s Settlement” and was located seven miles southwest of Huntsville in south central Walker County. It became a stronghold for Methodist activity in Southeast Texas in the early 1830s. The site is on a dirt road midway between Farm roads 1374 and 1791. By 1839 a campground, church (possibly the first church in Walker county; they shared their church building with other denominations) and school were established when land was given by William and Elizabeth Robinson (who are both buried in Martha’s Chapel Cemetery) to the Rev. Littleton Fowler, Superintendent of Methodism in the Republic of Texas. Early clergy who visited and served there included Isaac Strickland, Jesse Hord, Joseph P. Sneed, and Bishop Thomas A. Morris. The Fourth Texas Methodist Conference met on the land that is now Martha’s Chapel Cemetery in 1843, with Bishop James O. Andrew presiding. Sometime after the conference the local congregation adopted the name Trinity Church. The church and the area became known as Martha’s Chapel in 1854 after Martha Palmer, wife of a church trustee, died and was buried behind the church building. In 1855 John C. Black added twenty acres to the original Robinson Settlement, and a new building was erected near the old church. The original log church structure was then moved and turned into a barn. During the Civil War attendance at Trinity Church declined, and Rev. James G. Johnson (1812-1887) constructed a smaller building in 1863 that was known for a while as Johnson’s Chapel. When he died, Johnson bequeathed funds to complete the construction of the third and last place of worship at the cemetery site. It was dedicated on October 18, 1887, by Bishop W.W. Duncan. The congregation disbanded in the 1930s and ended a century of Methodism in the area.

The surrounding rural neighborhood maintained a school, though the bell rang only sporadically in the early years. In 1896 the Martha’s Chapel school employed two teachers, Miss Ona Randolph and Miss Mary Sterne (who is buried in Martha’s Chapel Cemetery). The schoolhouse remained as late as 1936 but was closed soon thereafter. By 1990 only the cemetery remained at the site.

On my way there, I ran across a couple of interesting abandoned buildings:

.

I discovered what looked like the remains of an abandoned town on google maps last week and had decided that I’d drive out towards Baytown and check it out. What I found turned out to be what must be the creepiest park in Texas.

Neighborhood streets with what looked like the remains of houses

As it turns out, the area has a really funky history. It started out in 1891 as unincorporated community in Harris County called Wooster, Texas. It was hit hard by the 1900 Galveston hurricane and by the time World War II rolled around, Wooster had become an internment camp for captured German prisoners of war.

After the war, the Wooster internment camp became the Brownwood subdivision. In the 1940s and 1950s, it was a highly desirable residential neighborhood with almost 400 large homes. It was nicknamed “The River Oaks of Baytown” and was home to many well-to-do engineers and oil executives.

In 1961, Hurricane Carla devastated Brownwood and subsidence became a serious problem. Industrial and municipal water users pumped out aquifer groundwater faster than nature could replenish it. Additionally, industry pumped out massive quantities of oil, natural gas and sand. The sustained attack on the environment lead to Brownwood sinking between 10 and 15 feet into the San Jacinto Bay:

Newspaper photo of a Brownwood family during the "Valentines Day Storm" in February of 1969

A 1972 newspaper photo of a Brownwood subsidence

In 1983, extensive damage from Hurricane Alicia finally led to Brownwood’s total abandonment. By 1990, the steadily encroaching waters had submerged many Brownwood streets:

In 1991, the residents of Baytown took a small step towards doing something about Brownwood by voting to approve $300,000 in bonds to deal with the sinking ghost town. Eventually in 1997, Brownwood was declared a Superfund site due to the “legal”, but ethically dubious toxic dumping activities of various local oil companies.

Nowadays, the ex-environmental disaster area / ex-Nazi internment camp / ex-exclusive neighborhood / ex-toxic dump is now a place where people can bring their kids to play and fish.

However, Superfund money and playground equipment can’t seem to erase the fact that this place is actually a ghost-town with a sordid past as a dump:

A park nature trail

The park beach

A "nature trail" that's actually an abandoned Brownwood neighborhood street named MacArthur St.

Another "nature trail" that's actually an abandoned Brownwood neighborhood street named Crow Rd.

What's left of a Brownwood home. In this picture, you can see bathroom tiles.

Another Brownwood home. In this picture, you can see the remains of what was a kitchen.

What's left of a private boathouse

A dichotomy: this was once a Nazi-internment camp and vibrant family neighborhood

Walking the abandoned streets of Brownwood was evocative. This is such an interesting area. In this place, children grew up; they enjoyed things like Christmas mornings, riding bikes and playing house. In this place, people fell in love, fought and dreamed. In this place, engineers and oil-executives unwittingly designed  the destruction of their own homes. In this place, Nazis were held in captivity, people died in natural disasters and the land became toxic.

Best FaceBook comment: “I went to high school in Deer Park, then went off to college, but in th emiddle of those yrs actually went to Lee College in Baytown for a sememster. I dated a girl that lived out there in Brownwood, actually if I remember correctly, on Crow Rd. That was in 1973, if I recall. Those pictures really are frightening. Her family had this gorgeous ranch style rambler, and they were a happy family. Too bad that area has disappeared. I haven’t been back down there since probably 1975, so I had no idea it had changed so much. So sad……so sad.”

While I had posted this to my FB a little while back, I forgot to post it to my blog. Here’s the most recient painting I’ve completed:

“A Ghost in the Machine”

I’ve loved the move “Ghost in the Shell” for the deep philosophical questions and implications the movie explores. This painting was inspired by the movie as well as noticing how the drive to cling to the Dualist belief system plays out in society. The concept of self (the one who knows) is something that we’ve struggled with for a long time. I like the way Ghost in the Shell deconstructs Dualism.

So, this is a painting of both the ideal and critique of theory of dualistic consciousness.  Is the “ghost” an extension of consciousness or supporting it?

On my way home, I decided to stop at an abandoned industrial scale that looked interesting to me:

Front of Building

Rear of Building

Overgrowth

Inside: "Scales Closed Forever! Thank You For 9 yrs.
Joe, Rose"

A Nearby Train

After finishing the other painting that’s been sitting unfinished for months, I was inspired to do another one… which I churned out in only 10 hours:

“The Three Paths”

I’ve noticed something about taking pictures of my paintings: I doesn’t work. The above photo just does not catch what the real painting looks like. The top and bottom panels look more red in this painting because the way that I did it, the farther away you are from the painting, the more tan it looks. If you look at the same panels from a different angle, they take on a pastel greenish tone and when looked at at another angel, it takes on a more redish hue. Also, the luminosity of the paint is entirely missing. You don’t get that, “OMG! This is really cool” feeling from a photo… which sucks.

Another thing that sucks: I’ve run out of walls to hang my paintings and now I’m just stuffing them into my closet.

The title comes from Hindu mythology: karma-marga, jnana-marga and bhakti-marga.

I just got done with a painting that I’ve been struggling with for many months now. Last night, in a flash of inspiration, I finished it up in one sitting:

“The Three Pillars”

The piece is around 5 feet tall and 2 1/2 feet wide.

The title comes from the 1965 Western Zen classic, “Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice and Enlightenment”.

Since I’m supposed to be off today, I only worked half a day. So, with a few hours to kill, I decided to take a drive down old Hempstead Highway. I noticed the highway has a lot of rundown buildings that looked like they were left over from the 70s and 80s and thought I’d check them out:

At the Car Wash

Car Ash

The Machine

Waiting room looks like it’s waiting for customers

The BBQ Place

Interesting abandoned structure

Menu is intact; trays sit just inside of the window

The Barber’s Strip

Barbershop on the corner. Note the intact Barber pole

Inside the Barber Shop. Note the filled spray-bottle

Whatever this used to be, it’s now a fern garden

At the End of the Road

Hempstead Highway ends just after Beltway 8. At the end of the road the highway becomes particularly junky. However, the wisteria vines add just a hint of color to an otherwise dreary scene. To me, it looked like nature was feebly trying to rebel against the litter: