Scrima Blogs

A month or so ago, I visited The Mattress Factory, and no, this would not be a museum of mattresses, like I thought it was. Which could have been really weird.

Yeah, this picture of the orange polka-dotted mannequins, I think, was a lasting image that seemed to represent The Mattress Factory as its face.

I mean, look at them. They are pretty sexy. An orange polka-dotted ass and tits, with old lady hair on her head, her thin body posing for you--how can you pass that up?

When I was there, looking into the windows, it gave me the feeling of eternity, seeing the thousands of orange polka-dotted women that went on for miles in the reflections of these mirrors. It was eerie.

My only question is, why are the polka dots orange? Why not red? Or blue? Or green? Or yellow? I'm sure there's a good reason. Heck, why not even rainbow polka dots? Now THAT would be art. I think?

And if you leave this room, you enter this trippy-looking room here:

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Another mirrored room, leading to an infinity of fluorescent lights on the ceiling, and orange and green polka-dots on the floor. This was by far my favorite room.

I'd like to imagine these as stars. Activate the warp-drive!

Eh, close enough.

Ah, the light, it's too bright! AND WHERE ARE MY LEGS?!?!

It's dark. Not sure where I photoed this trippy scene:

Cool colors and effects, man.

Now let's get out of these rooms. Onward!

I'd find one of my favorite quotes of mine up ahead soon.

No, this isn't my favorite, although everyone I was with seemed to love this one. I wondered, is this why people talk so much? They're trying to fill some emptiness? Seems like a bad reason to keep on talking. And working yourself to death to try and fill some emptiness seems anti-productive, too. Fill the emptiness by appreciating the little things. And do what you love, and don't worry if you don't get along with people--you're not supposed to get along with everyone. That's how I view it.

Now, this was my favorite:

"Sometimes I just don't know how to be in the world." Can't believe I didn't think of this quote myself. Think about it. A lot of people don't know how to be in the world. They may even resort to doing things, like drugs, to try to fit into the world. And I've never resorted to pretending to be someone else or pretending I'm into a sort of certain activity to make myself feel like I know what I'm doing. No, when you're around people who don't believe in what you believe in, value what you value, think like you think, or are raised around people who you can't connect with, of course you're not going to know how to be in the world.

Many of the schools and workplaces I've been to gave me that feeling, "I just don't know how to be." Everyone wants to create their own world around them where they know how to be in the world. But the problem is, so does everyone else. Which is why it doesn't work often.

Fortunately, I'm striving to get into the places where I know I belong. But my room is the perfect place for peace and serenity--no matter what, at the end of the day, I know I can find enjoyment there. If you "don't know how to be" in your own room, then you're truly lost, and I feel very sorry for anyone out there who doesn't "know how to be" in his or her own room.

Just be, man. Just be. It takes time, though, unfortunately.

Here's some purple photo I found:

"Purple haze, all in my brain.
Lately things they don't seem the same.
Actin' funny, but I don't know why.
Excuse me while I kiss the sky.
Purple haze, all around.
Don't know if I'm comin' up or down.
Am I happy or in misery?" -- Jimi Hendrix "Purple Haze"

That's what it reminded me of.

dogeee - Wow, So Purple Much Haze.

Doge. I love you, Doge.

There was one where there's a very dark room, where we have to let our eyes adjust to see. We went in there to see this:

A square light in a dark room. This is art, folks. Take notes. And you, too, can become a great light artist someday.

dogeee - Wow, Much Red Such Square.

Agreed, Doge. Agreed.

There was a circus room there. It was pretty amazing. There was a tiny bicycle you could try to ride on, a tightrope with a rope above to help you walk across, a ball with a rope above it to help you keep balance on it, and one of those spinny things you keep your body inside.

In another building were these exhibits by an artist who used yarn (I believe) around areas of a room to "capture" or "freeze" memories in place. It was pretty interesting.

All of that black yarn around these piles of books. Never thought of things in a room as memories before until I've seen these. It was quite literally eye-opening.

How many memories could you find in one room? I'd find so many in my room, that I'm not sure I'd be able to catch one.

So, in short, those were the important pictures and thoughts from that trip.

I'll let Doge finish this post. Go for it, Doge.

Just over a month ago, I went to Pittsburgh to see the writer houses (The City of Asylum), Randyland, and The Mattress Factory (no, they don't have a bunch of mattresses like I thought they did--it was a museum--and I'll post about that next after this one).

The City of Asylum is where writers who were exiled from their country took refuge. It's sad that these writers had to flee because their works were "controversial," mainly relative to their home, but not necessarily in other places.

The writer houses were so beautiful and colorful. Take a look for yourself.

I realized I was in the creative and artistic side of Pittsburgh.

I couldn't read the writing on this glass window, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

These colorful writer houses near the regular-looking ones make the regular housing look out of place.

"Just Be Good." I totally agree.

I can't even imagine the process and how much work went into this art on these homes.

I even spotted sentences on the cement ground, but much of it is faded out.

I love this saying about dictators. It's funny (and true, which is why it's funny) and helps you remember what a dictator really acts like. I've known quite a few people who act like dictators, in fact...

This is supposedly a MAP of Pittsburgh! On a house!

I think i'll never be able to navigate Pittsburgh unless I live there my whole life. No G.P.S. or detailed map on a house will ever help me find my way around this city.

More pretty pictures incoming!

And here's Randy Land! It's like Candy Land, but better.

"Deposit fears, hurts, worries, here." Surprised that there were only a few slips in there. But the ones that I saw in there were pretty depressing, just can't remember what they were.

I could use one of these.