FamiLee Life

Shantyscape

I have decided to take some photographs using my 35 mm Nikon n2000 camera that I received as a graduate gift from college back in 1990. It's a great camera but it's terribly underused in this digital era. What I love about the camera (and also hate when I am not wanting to be patient) is that it forces me to manually focus the lens, as it is not automated. It also is the perfect camera to use when outside in the deep cold because I have found that the battery life is much longer than my digital camera which seems to die in the freezing weather. At any rate, here is a photo that I took which gies a nice perspective on the Art Shanty Projects.

Skin Color and Salary

The palette on the left is from a random website when I googled "skin tone"

My graduate student, Alisia, forwarded me this news item about a recent economic study by researchers at Vanderbilt University that examined skin color (and height) of recent immigrants and their salaries. Hm...I wonder if this finding holds true for academics as well?! I guess if I were whiter and taller, I'd be a richer man today....

Joni Hersch, a law and economics professor at Vanderbilt University, looked at a government survey of 2,084 legal immigrants to the United States from around the world and found that those with the lightest skin earned an average of 8 percent to 15 percent more than similar immigrants with much darker skin. "On average, being one shade lighter has about the same effect as having an additional year of education," Hersch said. The study also found that taller immigrants earn more than shorter ones, with an extra inch of height associated with a 1 percent increase in income. Hersch took into consideration other factors that could affect wages, such as English-language proficiency, education, occupation, race or country of origin, and found that skin tone still seemed to make a difference in earnings. That means that if two similar immigrants from Bangladesh, for example, came to the United States at the same time, with the same occupation and ability to speak English, the lighter-skinned immigrant would make more money on average. "I thought that once we controlled for race and nationality, I expected the difference to go away, but even with people from the same country, the same race — skin color really matters," she said, "and height." Although many cultures show a bias toward lighter skin, Hersch said her analysis shows that the skin-color advantage was not due to preferential treatment for light-skinned people in their country of origin. The bias, she said, occurs in the U.S.

Now, this is not new news to many people of color who have observed this sort of preferential treatment first hand. Many psychological studies also have noted this same phenomena. It is aligned with other research showing a White are more attracted toward and have a preference for people of color who have more "anglo/white" features such as a more narrow nose. I think the most interesting aspect to this study, at least how it was reported, is the last sentence from the above pulled quote. Namely, "the skin-color advantage was not due to preferential treatment for light-skinned people in their country of origin. The bias, she said, occurs in the U.S." The fact that skin tone preference occurs in other countries is often used as a defense (albeit a weak one) by some people who claim it is universal (and thus allowing them to not feel culpable).

On a related note, I came across this book Race, Gender, and the Politics of Skin Tone that addresses this very issue in the African American and Hispanic communities. I know it holds true in the Asian American community as well, although I am not so sure that darker complexions in Asian ethnic groups denotes greater cultural authenticity to the same extent as in African American and Hispanic communities (as claimed in the excerpt of this book) -- "Light-skinned women gain advantages in terms of beauty status and romantic relationships, while dark-skinned women ae typically viewed as more authentic members of their own racial/ethnic groups. "

Ice Bike Racing!

Last week, I was tossing around the idea with some friends of having a bicycle race track around the art shanties and then came across this event in Mendota Heights. It's the Human Powered Ice Vehicle World Championships! The race will take place this Saturday at Rogers Lake. Too cool. Hm...I wonder if we can convince them to run a pre-race (or post-race) event at the Art Shanty Projects?

UPDATE: CrossMax (aka CC) let me know of another ice bike race that will take place on Sunday. It's called the Chilly Chili Race and it is happening in Bloomington. For a flyer, click Click here

Weekend Arts Roundup

This is a busy and important weekend of Arts! So much to do!

Tonight, check out sculptural work by Rollin Marquette at the Minneapolis Institute of Art's Minnesota's Artist Gallery as part of the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program. The opening reception runs from 7-9 pm tonight.

Tomorrow, check out the Big A Project by Peter Haakon Thompson at the Nash Gallery on the University of Minnesota campus from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm.

After the Nash exhibit, head over to Intermedia Arts for the opening of the 55408 exhibit which was co-curated by Sergio Vucci and Bridgette Rongitsch. The reception will feature karaoke singing with none other than Hapa9 as KJ.

And of course, the Art Shanty Projects continues all weekend long. Woodwork artist Paul Linden and I were working on an ice skating rink last weekend, so hopefully you can bring your skates too!

Champagne Chair Contest :: Cast Your VOTE!

Isn't this a sexy chair? It's inspired by the glamour and beauty of champagne. My friend Warren Young, senior designer at Blu Dot, designed the Jessica Marie. Warren and I met on Tuesday nights playing basketball with a ragtag group of primarily artists and educators. Oftentimes, I must guard him which is technically a challenge given that he has a 6 inch height advantage on me. Fortunately, I can employ my spiderman defense on him and use my Barkley-esque post-up moves on him on offense (haha - j/k).

But seriously -- Help Warren win the Design Within Reach Champagne Chair Contest by casting your vote. Vote soon so he can advance to the next round!

Loverboy and Gambling :: Oh, What a Night!

The famous album --------------- Mike Reno back in the day --------------- Mike Reno today

Last night was the big Loverboy concert at Treasure Island casino. PhT, Kenji, Ebok, and I met up at 6 pm and made the drive down. We arrived a bit early to get our tickets, get a lay of the land, and grab a bite to eat. The parking lot was packed and we ended up in the far remote lot, taking the shuttle bus into the compound. Right as you enter through the doors, the smoke hits you. Yes, folks, we are no longer in the land of banned smoking. It was smoker's paradise. I immediately started to get a headache but my body adjusted about 45 minutes later. After procuring the tickets and eating some bad fast food (and silently noticing someone had thrown up on a table away from us, altho' I don't tell Kenji to spare him the horrors), we head to the concert in the ballroom.

Upon entering, I start to laugh as I see the ballroom is essentially a conference ballroom with low, dropdown ceilings, bad hotel carpeting, and an assemblage of portable chairs arranged in a clamshell pattern and filled with middle-aged, overweight men and women in too tight for their bodies clothing from the 80s. It was a Loverboy concert in a time bottle! The band started promptly at 8:00 pm and methodically worked their way through the set culminating with their hits, like Turn Me Lose and Working for the Weekend. The most shocking part of the evening for me (aside from the hilarious dancing and behavior of the adoring female fans) was Mike Reno. The band has stayed together for 27 years and the rest of the band members seemed fit and healthy. Poor lead singer Mike Reno looked terrible! Overweight, sweating profusely, pale skinned...oh, what a contrast to his pretty boy look from the 1980s. Still, he sang well still after all these years and everyone had a good time. It was surreal and definitely worth the free comp tickets.

Afterwards, we grabbed another bite to eat, reviewed the show and the hilarities of the evening, and then decided to play some blackjack at the casino. I am not a very good gambler and do not have the appetite for it. Some people who grow up without money love the luck and high pay off of gambling. Other people who grow up without money hate to part with it in such a frivolous way. I am part of the latter group, although I always seem to reason with myself and find some justification to try a hand or two. We sit down at a table and I have enough money for six hands. After about 10 hands, I am out! Ouch! The others continue to play and Ebok is up. He hands me some chips and encourages me to play some slots to pass the time. PhT and I meander to a $1 slot machine. I pop in a $20 bill and after maybe 10 "spins" I end up winning a $60 jackpot! Yay, I win back my losses and promptly stop. I repay Ebok and then wait for the others to finish their game. Eventually, we leave the casino with our shirts still on our backs.

A long drive home in -3 temps but lots of good stories and camaraderie. Oh, what a night!

A Weekend of Song :: Loverboy!

It's going to be a weekend of song. Of course, the Art Shanty Projects continue this weekend and I am sure I will be spelling Hapa9 at the Norae Shanty as KJ (karaoke jockey). Come with your songs and a healthy set of lungs!

However, the weekend of song officially will get started on Friday night with (drum roll please) a Loverboy concert at Treasure Island Casino (courtesy of EBok).

Loverboy defined a generation with their trademark red leather pants and thundering rock sound and now they're heading to The Island for two energetic shows! Hear them live as they perform awesome hits such as “Working for the Weekend,” “Lovin' Every Minute Of It,” and “Turn Me Loose.”

After a spell at the Shanties on Saturday afternoon, HW and I, along with some other friends, will catch Young Jean Lee's play - Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven (A show about white people in love) - at the Walker Art Center.

Provocative writer/director Young Jean Lee’s worst nightmare is to make anything as predictable as a confessional, Korean American identity play with a flowery Asian-sounding title, so she decided to do just that. Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven follows a character named “Korean-American” as she navigates—like a contestant in an identity-politics video game—the increasingly disturbing levels of a pseudo-Korean world. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a white couple appears and begins having a dysfunctional relationship drama that eventually takes over the play. Full of blunt observations and unexpected turns, Lee’s warped, funny take on her heritage raises difficult questions about race, culture, and identity that leave the audience uneasy, exhilarated, and grappling for answers

Hope to see some of you at one of these song activities!

Frozen Contacts

Here is my Tuesday routine: I get up, I pack my gym bag to play basketball after work, I put my gym bag in the car trunk, I go to work, I leave work to play basketball, I take my gym bag out of the trunk, I enter gym, I change clothes, I put on my contact lens...uh...wrong! My contact lenses were frozen in a block of saline ice! No joke. It was so cold yesterday (around 5-8 degrees) that my contact solution (saline - salt water, people!) froze solid with my contact lenses encapsulated. Frustratingly, I had to play ball with my eyeglasses. By the last game, the contact solution was no longer frozen and I was able to pop in my contacts for one game. Amazingly, the contacts appeared to be unaffected by the freezing. Maybe, in fact, it killed any bacteria that was fermenting in the case. Oh well, such is the life of a Minnesotan.

Art Shanty Projects 2007

Photos courtesy of Kenji O.

On Saturday, I went to the opening of the Art Shanty Projects on Medicine Lake in Plymouth, MN. It was a wonderful day. It began with a tasty brunch with Venora and Eric and then we headed over to the lake. V and E had never been to the ASP before, so I gave them a tour of some of the shanties, serving as the docent for the day. It was cold, but the sun was out just enough to make it tolerable. Plus, I am now a firm believer that wool is the new fleece (or rather fleece is no longer the new wool). With layers of wool, I was warm despite the bone chilling cold.

I spent 9 hours outside (and inside various shanties), finally departing at midnight after a few hours of eating, singing, and laughing. It was a full, happy day. The shanties this year were a step up from past years. I think artists are taking more risks, giving it all more thought, and spending lots more time on the planning and construction of their designs. The Lincoln Log shanty (above) was just one example of a really impressive effort. Another shanty was 2+ stories tall - I referred to it as the Malaysian skyscraper. There was a shanty insulated with stuffed animals and still another that was completely lined with pine tree branches (a reuse of a Christmas tree?). And of course, the norae shanty was rocking the house all day and night.

Congratulations to all the artists who contributed to the ASP this year. A wonderful job. Fortunately for us all, there are 5 more weeks to enjoy the Art Shanty Projects!

Happy Birthday Mom

My mother would be 66 years old today....well, at least legally, according to Uncle Sam. My mother claimed to have been born during the Spring and the January 15th birthday was just a typical immigration paper error. So, she actually preferred to celebrate her birthday on July 4th. I think she chose this holiday date (despite it being in the Summer, not Spring) because we always gave her a hard time about having a rotating birthday (based on the lunar calendar) and this was an easier date to remember. In the end, I used to just call her on January 15th to wish her a happy birthday.

She died about six weeks before her 62nd birthday. As she was lying on the hospital bed, she said to me -- Oh, I can't die yet because I am just 6 weeks short of my social security benefits! That's my mom for you. Always a crack up, even up to the end.

Happy birthday, mom. I miss you, love you, and am glad you have whe halmoni beside you now.

Love, your youngest son

Report Cards :: Learning From My Past

On my last trip home, I excavated my report cards from the deep bowels of my father's basement. It was a treasure trove of my past. I always knew that my mother had kept my brothers' and my report cards but I had long forgotten. She kept the report cards alongside her stash of one-dollar coins, old photographs, scarves, and jewelry in her dresser drawer that I would dig through on a weekly basis while she was away at work. Usually, I was in search of money to buy ice cream from the Good Humor truck, but sometimes I just wanted to see what was in there.

After my father moved from the house and subsequently moved again, all these items became lost or tossed or misplaced. In my search for childhood photos (which are still sadly amiss), I came across the report cards. Oh, what a find. My brothers and I, along with my sister-in-law and niece and nephews, read them aloud and laughed at the memories.

Here are some interesting tidbits about my academic progress....starting all the way back to Kindergarten!

June 1975 (Kindergarten) - Grade for the mental development category of "I respond to rhythms" is "Has shown improvement." Ha! I still struggle with rhythm. It's funny because I cannot sing and clap my hands at the same time.
November 1975 (1st grade) - "He is more and more academically oriented and less toy oriented." Ah, my drive for success begins to emerge.
March 1977 (2nd grade) - "He frequently writes stories and poems on his own" and "He prints neatly but often too small." Signs of my creativity and conscientiousness
March 1978 (3rd grade) - "Spelling test scores continue to be excellent." I loved spelling and still take pride in my spelling.
April 1979 (4th grade) - "He could slow down so he wouldn't make careless errors." Yep, this became a recurring comment from teachers. I recall getting frustrated at being timed (or wanting to finish early) and feeling the need to rush.
June 1980 (5th grade) - "Much more conscientious about avoiding careless errors this term" and "Very involved with current events; seems to enjoy keeping up with the news." I slowly began to develop strategies to stay focused and really did enjoy reading the front page of the newspapers while eating cereal each morning (of course, after reading the comics and sports) .
June 1981 (6th grade) - "My classroom will never be the same without his smile to brighten it!" Mrs. Leone was my favorite teacher, natch.
2nd quarter 1981 (7th grade) - "Behavior is distracting to class." Oops, my strategies to keep focused were waning or in need of refinement.
3rd quarter 1982 (7th grade) - "Exhibits artistic sensitivity." Ah, I am my father's child.

Alas, the wonderful teacher comments end by the time I reach high school. Still, it's pretty amazing because you can see many of the same interests and attributes in me today. From a career interest inventory perspective, you can see the psychologist in me emerging, namely my interests in Social, Artistic, and Investigative activities. You also can see my early struggles with inattention and hyperactivity. Though never diagnosed with ADHD (which was not even a diagnostic category back then), it makes you wonder...hm....

I also found three reports of my performance on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills from 4th and 5th grades. Looking at these results were interesting and reminded me of those long days of test taking. Phew, I am glad that I am done with those days. Interestingly, written in pencil on one of those test results were my IQ scores! No joke! I suspect the teacher (or guidance counselor) wrote these scores down to compare my achievement scores with my cognitive potential or ability. I also suspect I was underachieving a bit back then but I think I caught up a bit since then ;)

UPDATE: My cousin sent me this link that differentiates between gifted and ADHD. Hm....maybe I was just bored all those years in school! Ha.

* Poor attention and daydreaming when bored -- YES, THIS WAS/IS ME! I WAS A TOTAL DOODLER.
* Low tolerance for persistence on tasks that seem irrelevant -- YES AGAIN!
* Begin many projects, see few to completion -- NO, I WAS REALLY INTO COMPLETING TASKS, WHICH SOMETIMES MEANT THAT I RUSHED THEM TO JUST FINISH THEM
* Development of judgment lags behind intellectual growth -- LIKE THE TIME I JUMPED FROM A SECOND STORY HOUSE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND NEARLY KONKED MY HEAD ON THE IRON BASEMENT DOOR. OOPS.
* Intensity may lead to power struggles with authorities -- HELLO, HIGH SCHOOL! AN APPEAL TO AUTHORITY IS THE WEAKEST ARGUMENT!
* High activity level; may need less sleep -- I USED TO WAKE UP AT 5 A.M. AND WATCH THE TV STATIC TILL THE CARTOONS WOULD FINALLY COME ON.
* Difficulty restraining desire to talk; may be disruptive -- I HAVE ALWAYS JUST HAD TO SAY SOMETHING
* Question rules, customs, and traditions -- HELLO, HIGH SCHOOL! THE ROOT TO MY LOVE OF PUNK AND ANARCHY BACK IN THE DAY
* Lose work, forget homework, are disorganized -- NO, THIS NEVER WAS THE CASE
* May appear careless -- YEP, YEP, YEP.
* Highly sensitive to criticism -- YES AND I RECALL GETTING SUPER ANXIOUS
* Do not exhibit problem behaviors in all situations -- YES
* More consistent levels of performance at a fairly consistent pace -- HM...NOT SURE.
(Cline, 1999; Webb & Latimer, 1993)

It's Getting Cold = Art Shanty Projects Opening!

Painting by Hapa9

It is finally getting cold up here in Minnesota. We've had an unseasonably warm winter thus far. For those unfamiliar with our neck of the woods, "warm" means temps in the high 20s and 30s. By this weekend, we will be back to our norm of temps in the single digits or teens. Usually, I am planning my "fun in the sun" vacation to take a break from the bitter cold temps, but I am actually looking forward to the cold front this winter. Why?! Am I going native? Well, not exactly but sort of.

On Saturday, it is the opening of the Art Shanty Projects on Medicine Lake in nearby Plymouth, MN. The ASP is a "five week exhibition of science, art, knitting, karaoke, games, performances, mail, pinhole cameras, cacti and art cars. The Art Shanty Projects are part gallery, part residency and part social experiment, inspired by the tradition of ice fishing and ice fishing houses used in the Minnesota winter."

I have gone to the last three ASP exhibits on ice and it is definitely one of the highlights of winter. Good friends, PHT and Hapa9, have two of the original shanties and Hapa9's norae shanty (aka karaoke ice house) is the most popular exhibit there. You can find me most weekends helping man the karaoke machine as literally hundreds of people try their hand at the mic. American Idol may be premiering next week on tv, but why watch others sing when you can be an idol for a song or two or three.

So, if you want to experience a true Minnesota art phenomenon, come to the Art Shanty Projects opening on Saturday, January 13th, on Medicine Lake.

Brothers with a Chuckle and a Giggle

left to right (oldest to youngest): King, Martin, and Me

One of the bright moments from my visit home for whe halmoni's funeral was the chance to spend time with my older brothers, Martin and King. King lives in CT, so I see him and his family whenever I visit for the holidays. Martin, on the other hand, lives in Olympia, WA and I had not seen him in over three years. In fact, I last saw Martin when our mother died in December of 2002 and then again that same Christmas. At the time of our mom's funeral, we boys had decided to take a photo altogether to place in her casket, so we would always be beside her. This is the above photo of us in suit/tie.

Sadly, it took another funeral for us to all be together again, but it was not as sad a day for us. Whe halmoni had lived a full life and we all felt peace in her passing on to Heaven. The next day, Martin came up with the idea to recreate the original photo, but in casual clothing this time. It was a funny episode. We kept cracking up throughout the photo taking (kudos to sister-in-law Heide for taking the photos). I think we ended up taking about 12 photographs before we finally got a non-laughing shot that we could all agree upon. This is the other photo above. Notice my t-shirt giving props to the Midwest: It's in the Middle!

My brothers and I, along with my mother, have always had a tendency to laugh at inappropriate, solemn moments. Growing up, during long prayers before meals, we almost always started chuckling, then heaving with laughter. My father would get upset with us, especially when it was the minister praying! We could not help it. It was the silliness in our genes. Even at my whe halmoni's funeral, during the receiving line at the end of the service, we started to laugh when an old family friend (Mrs K) shook our hands and called out each of our names, King....Martin....Chris. I smiled and then I was like, "Huh? Chris?" Martin looked at me and we just started laughing. Nothing is worse than trying to suppress laughter. Oh gosh, it was a good, long chuckle and giggle.

So, of course, it was fitting that we were laughing the whole time during the photo shoot. King and Martin were laughing and arguing over who was taller and I kept standing on my tippy toes to be the same height (such the jokester). Finally, it was getting late (around 11:30 pm) when we decided to take one very last shot. Here it is....

I love getting in the last laugh :) Ah, the joys of being the youngest.

In the Name of a Grandmother

My maternal grandmother (whe halmoni - in Korean) passed away suddenly last Friday (December 29, 2006) at the age of 90, 92, or 94 depending on which birthdate is used and what age counting system is used. Her birth certificate has her birthday as 1916 but apparently she was born in 1914. As was common back then, her parents waited to register her birth until she was older and likely to survive. She was 92 using the western age counting system in which you are one day old at birth, but she was 94 (I believe) using the Korean/lunar system in which you are one years old at birth and two years old with the new year. At any rate, she died at her daughter's home just a few days after Christmas from pneumonia. It was fortunately a peaceful passing.

My whe halmoni was bed ridden for the last seven years of her life and she had very limited mobility and frail health for maybe the last ten years. There were many times when we all thought that she was going to pass, but she seemed to have nine lives. Always rebounding and saying she was going to live till 100 years old. She was just short by 10, 8, or 6 years....

Whe halmoni was present in my immediate family's life, but much less so than my paternal halmoni who lived with my family since shortly after I was born. I usually saw whe halmoni every Sunday at church growing up and on special occasions and holidays. Later after I had moved away, my mother and I would make a point to visit her at my aunt's home when I came home for Christmas. I always loved my whe halmoni because she had the gentlest soul of any person I knew. She also was spunky and funny -- much like my mother. She had lived a powerful and amazing life that included the Japanese occupation, near executions during the Korean war, loss and betrayal by her husband whom she continued to love, extreme poverty, and death - so much death. Yet through it all, she survived with a zest for life and a courage that matched the strength of steel. I wish I had gotten to know her even better.

It's funny because I never knew her full name until sitting there at her funeral, reading her biography in my broken Korean. Her maiden name was Yi (or Lee) but from a different lineage than my father's family tree. Her Korean name was Sug-Nam which I have never heard before and suspect is a name not very commonly used anymore. I also learned my maternal grandfather's name was Chae Duk-Son and that they married in 1935 when she was 19 (or 21) years old. They had at least five children with the oldest a son, followed by four daughters. It is known that there were at least two other children who died as children from illness and disease. Family history is often mysterious in immigrant families. I do know with certainty that my uncle and my mom preceded whe halmoni in death.

In Korean culture, you are known by your role in the family, not by your name. This is the reason that I never knew my whe halmoni's name. She was always just grandmother. And before any of us grandchildren were born, I am sure she was known as just Soon-Du's mother (my uncle) or Young-Hee's mother (my mom). It is a distinguishing feature between individualist culture and collectivistic culture. We are nothing except in the context of our family role. Yet this role means everything. This name that she carried proudly (whe halmoni) meant the world to her and to us. It let her hold her head high; it gave her happiness and satisfaction. It meant she had done all she could for future generations - her children and their children and so on.

In her death, I am reminded again and again that being a part of a collectivistic family carries different weight. Not heavier, not lighter. Its substance is simply different in some intangible ways.

I will always love you and miss you, whe halmoni. Now you can laugh, play, pray, and share with mom and the rest of our family in Heaven. Peace and love be with you.

Happy New Year

It is the morning after my New Years Eve party. Hosting a party can be a lot of work and stressful, but it is something I really enjoy. I guess I take after my mother. Of course, the hardest part is the waiting but once one person arrives, the rest arrive in droves. So it was last night. We had lots of food (including Korean kalbi and "Asian-style" baby back ribs) and then spent the night talking, singing (thanks, Hapa9), and playing guitar hero (thanks, KO). People filed out around 4, HW and I cleaned till 5, then hit the bed. I am one of those people who just can't sleep in all morning, no matter how hard I try and how bad the need. So I popped out of bed around 10 and cleaned some more. I know, it's crajee.

My resolutions for this year include...

1) To save more money on a monthly basis. Need to be slightly less the consumer and more the frugal saver.
2) To visit all my relatives when I visit my family in CT, rather than just spend time with my immediate family.
3) To ride my bicycle(s) more often
4) To read more books and less In Touch magazines (especially when flying)
5) To attend to my spiritual, religious life more

UPDATE: I remembered the last two resolutions (#4 and #5).