Troebia's Diary

[snoringdog]

The local conservative government first downplayed the seriousness of the situation, especially since they had retired funding from flood prevention last year and spent more on bullfighting events instead.

Infuriating but predictable human behavior. Too bad we shouldn't expect better.

[Mental Fairy]

I am worried about you, I understand that feeling you’re have been having. Nothing showing on the outside feels natural or authentic.
Inside the feeling of an almost numbness and opposite to what you portray can be so energy sucking, life feels somewhat to hard to face.

I adore your art, it is beautiful and something if I was presented, I would be so grateful and proud.

How is your sleep?

[troebia]

I will probably sleep very well tonight since I'm exhausted. Today I went with my daughter (on her initiative) and two of her friends to do volunteer work cleaning in some of the neighbourhoods that were hit hardest by the flood a few days ago in Valencia. It looks like a war zone, especially in the places where the water found its easiest path and swept away all the parked cars and turned them into absurd stacked jumbles mixed with all kinds of debris. We spent a few hours at each place helping as best we could. One older man had a repair shop on ground level where the water had risen two meters up and we formed a sort of chain, shovelling out the mud. At another place we helped to put a massive wooden door back in place on an old house. With our wheelbarrow we helped take out furniture and other belongings from people's houses out onto the pavement, and those lucky to have pressure washers could then clean off the worst of the mud, others just used hoses and brooms. We passed a woman crying on the street, then another person slumped over in despair, then another... Someone screamed incoherently and hysterically from down a lane. The stench was becoming unbearable as the sun heated up the putrid water. The fire brigade miraculously rescued a woman still alive after being trapped for almost three days in a car deep inside a water-filled underpass. A throng of young people everywhere, eager to help. More streets were becoming transitable as tow-trucks and cranes were taking away the piled-up cars. We walked to our car again parked across the river along the motorway where there was a constant flow of emergency vehicles, sirens blaring.

I can't say if we really made a difference, we were simply like ants busy fixing their flooded anthill, every little grain matters I suppose. My daughter said it felt good to see so many teenagers volunteering. My arms and back hurts. I was especially impressed by the strength and stamina of these young women with me.

[manuel_moe_g]

So great to think of you and your daughter doing manual labor to be of service amidst human suffering, Troebia — the very best of humanity

[Mental Fairy]

I’m lost for words. I was watching a news clip and seeing the damage. It’s hard to comprehend. What you and your daughter did is commendable. I came compare it to our east coast floods as I don’t live there, but they still cleaning up here even a year on.

Your nervous system must be overwhelmed currently.

[troebia]

Overwhelmed and sad. We saw so many wonderful people helping, and also the inhabitants of these areas making heroic efforts to salvage some of their belongings on ground level or even in underground garages. All cars that weren't parked two or three meters above ground (which is extremely rare except in some shopping malls) have been flooded and maybe also swept away and banged up. One of the girls with me said as we were on our way back "Look, that's the fourth brand-new Tesla I've seen destroyed today". Yesterday the Spanish king, the Spanish president and the head of the local autonomous region were all there to visit and people were screaming angrily and throwing mud and sticks at them, because of the lack of prevention and support.

My daughter has helped me film a reel of my "burning" project. She salvaged some pages of the sketchbook in the last minute (Daaad??). It felt extremely cathartic to do this because I think it highlights our temporality, futility and fragility. Nothing on those pages was really important and most of the drawings were either tests of different combinations of colors and pens or quick sketches in preparation for actual drawings:
https://filetransfer.io/data-package/CgnIzP0x#link
(Manny, watch at your own risk )

[snoringdog]

LOL! Good musical choice, but it's cut off too soon!

That section of Carmina Burana ends with a triumphant flourish... perfect for when nothing is left but a crisp on a stick!

(last 30 seconds from 2:00~2:30)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXFSK0ogeg4

[troebia]

but it's cut off too soon!

Heheh you really do know your musical stuff, SD
I limited the reel to one minute so there had to be a couple of cuts. I guess I could have spliced the audio together to include the ending, but just putting the video clips together became a massive PITA, using ShotCut. The paper turned out to burn too slowly for slo-mo but I was afraid to use something more inflammable than rubbing alcohol to soak it. I once played with gasoline and practically burned my eyebrows off! Diesel would have been ideal but the small can I had was empty.

[snoringdog]

With all that going on, you have enough for a "The Making of.." reel

My only question ' How is Manny holding up?

[manuel_moe_g]

>>> can’t bear to watch <<>