it was great way to live
it was living with all ya aunties and cousines
the hall studiode a 6-panel Nat painting. Steve moved the nailed down closet and carpeted under it in Unit 5.
"Pretty shattered" said Natalie, lolling in mononucleosis-induced fatigue, in cooling summery Dunedin, four years since our life in BC with the aunties and cousins, and the occasional uncle "Hey! Hehehehe. Un schluss!".
"You're doing the thing of the piano player who just intensely stares at the audience the whole time" Nat chuckles
Now Stop It
How to make the world like you want it? To have you say yes or to have you say no?
"I should just relax." puffs Nat
"Other people have a better lounging view. My lounging view is quite odd, it's like looking into your office. When I'm trying to lounge I'm just staring into your office typing away. Imagine people in their lounge just sitting staring into some office. Aaaaa I need to sketch that! That's like a dilbert drawing aye."
"Dilbert style! Pirate the!" Steve
"Nah Fuck Off" Nat crackles in an overall grunt
The livestock crashed through the netting on the weed bonsais.
"What did I say? What was the idea to sketch..." Nat questions. Quiet... Scratchings begin...
Cooperations. Civilisations. Christchurch. Wasn't there for the floods. It was instant no water apparently.
The cracks were still there, several in fact, the nature of these cinderblocks.
Nowadays, chatGPT can tell us that Hollow cinderblock walls are not very effective at soundproofing when used between different units of a motel complex.
"Hempcrete?" Nat, standing in front of the bluestone, while Steve reasons about spacetime.
We have a lead on a sale. Jack the Pumpkin says "vlorschemes". She is smiley rapt typey STARTLED! "We were lastly vastly fastly vacoobiha... Did you look it up?"
I didn't and we trail off. Steve enters the room again.
"Is your negotiation progressing?"
"Yes it is. This is great news I love this piece too. Be willing to talk about it tomorrow with a fresh head. Keep him warm lol." Nat texts.
and resign to be trapped in a leaf on the vine - Eno
And so to the bits! The days! The what to do whens! Oh but the softness too. The tenderly enquiring about becoming the last word in flatmates for the latest greatest take on reality.
Tapping into wares unsaleable and not, we jaunted. I did a rather crap mural. Nat did a sweet one.
It was a commission from the get go. We arrived at night, it seemed. Such a crystaline village nighttime drone speared us with a spandex exercise in passive aggressive yet only moderately Do Not Disturb sign (crayon? lavender card?) on our hut-target. For some reason... We were going somewhere to stay we didn't know our new flatmate. And now this sign of the times... Why can't one just explore paint? Why the standing steeping in feelings and plans to uncork a moment so serenely kept?
The adventurous spirit would not sit in this new Christchurchian valley of doubt long, the beachfront was smelt from the Ford we rode in on, countless boards tucked somewhere, hundreds of kilograms. It always becomes the momentous momentary mountain of work becoming itself, lending one-note sculpture to the curious onlooker sipping leaf juice in a scuttling sandship.
The beach was quiet. Ours. Indeed the respite, we sunk into the dunes. The mass of Te Waipounamu sanded by the sea, where we dribbled and bedded just behind a rise, so as to be invisible to the morning dog walkers that stick to the firm lower beach. Oh, perfect. Shelter. Only slightly cold in an exciting kind of way just before dawn. Quite a present, that sleep on the beach. Locked out in paradise.
Then we simply got in there are met everyone the next day. To begin cooperating! To we all, having our washing machines down the end of the Boulevard! Nice.
The People
There is energy that we don't have instrumentation to define yet, and there's a field [that changes] - Chris Voss
You have to describe their position [before you voice any opinion] - Chris Voss
It will fall in place in the wake of the big dynamic we are creating - Herzog
And mumbled was the fact that our lives together were Charity, an expression of goodwill, eg:
Youre so lovely keeping me alive with food - Nat
The artist in the charity of the light. The form takes pity on its onlooker and is beautiful. People hypnotically flap, flap, fold, leave, return, glint, hint, wander off into madness, alone. Oh! What a shock.
Some other day,
To be humans together, etc, plotting to enjoy ourselves, etc, painting fences and dispatching maintenance acts. Storage Piles! Lets get some paint! Lets spill some paint! Lets see the olive branch and the tunnel I never went down in the mound I sometimes walked over.
While you slept, God walked softly over the fields with Maria. - Herzog
Yay The Housing for Women Trust.
It might have been named Goodwill Express Machine, Beach Coma Federated Republik.
It was lovely to get out of a man's domain for a while - most certainly a relief.
Actually they like relief work. That's where it's effective, needed, effective.
Solitairings of the wiseguys.
Yes, wiseguys. Three or four? No four and a bit... Yes... Connected to it! Parts of a marvellous being.
Nat now keeps a book of art commissions and leads
All murals matter. To make a good estimate:
- Time
- Price per hour
- How much to then charge for it
"It would be nice to be worth $45 an hour. That's 4.44444444 hours to finish Giraftipus." Nat
"You always leave when I talk! Jobs have been falling into my hands"
It was so at the very other end of the BC era, when we knew Becca who is some kind of council executive who networked Nat a job at the library doing stop motion with kids! Fantastic vein of financing for the artistic method.
It seemed like we were just starting to do well in the City of Christchurch at the end.
Meetings and Stuff
Yes, functioning. You know, functioning. Functions. It's all bleedin coming together innit.
Points were dealt with. We, personally, did it. Good.
I became a sort of book keeper before long, keen to type.
Here are some books I kept, even though BC Administration deleted everything on the shared google drive folder, it's the final version of the README of the whole shared folder.
README
One Sunday night, five million dollars went sailing in a trust, which is a type of car, by the name Housing for Women. It had only three members since being taken over by sociopaths, chimes a distant possibility. The only thing happening was:
BC was the building, a [decommissioned, back from the road] motel and a [perfectly parallel] resonator. Most people were there for a year or two, shrugging about the surfaces shunted slightly in the quakes, insurance for which recently paid out, a miracle in itself. Political dynamite, see.
Our Group was forming under a total upswing of [ideal people joining], community building and values beyond tenanting, and that’s what it turned into. The quake-variables etc loomed over the imagining of the ground, which badly needed de-motelling.
Anything could happen. This was burning out the heads of anyone who considered it, myself included, in between my computer science and trying to be handy on the ground. She drifts through my first winter, everything is on hold, boss lady is over it.
Natalie, my love, gets a mural commission! The system works. I never put in any designs really, things trailing off or being put on hold in real life conversations. At this point it seems to be a motor that does work if you put plans in the right place.
But the big plans never get shared, or even drawn perhaps. I have one plan I haven’t shared, I admit. It’s all about supporting the community, especially when they don’t go away from summer and you do, for six weeks or so. So! We are a type of people. Yes.
The world was peopling itself out and the office wing seemed gone, which was fine. We then got… A letter. In person. But no explanation anywhere, very non-disclosure. Apparently there’s something to do with the building but I doubt it. Out in 6 weeks.
Wow. The new village (seemingly sans the boss/her in that role) was here, ish, people having all sorts of commitments all over the place, which helped keep our identity very vacant in all this mean time. Ideal. It’s now ten days out.
The three officials seem gagged, two of them trustees. How bizarre. They had a creepy property manager for hire (a rental rental hitman) deliver a “don’t get messy” message. Various people think they’re going to rebuild, or just restock, as has been the mode lately. More obfuscation on a history of murders?
Its life was needing courage and variables, but after meetings lapsed authenticity and attendance of the boss lady, (quarrelling
Variables, some quakey, prevented certainty about our extended possibility as a life printer from seeing itself.
In the end the power-holders got bored, unable to play with themselves, the way their more wild explorative side would, and seeing the new manager condensing in front of them pulled out the rug from about 9 of us, who must now moving on.
So the power-holders
people got bored, especially the two live-in trustees, who wanted to be in control but out of the way, seeking a middle-manager, who arrived but was U-turned on, awkwardly she leads me to believe,
Then it goes on into being the README proper, from the before times, when we all were taking it seriously
to be semi-fiction, for rolling in embryos of potential, with lots of pictures/plans/history, plenty of typology to house anything for any passing projects.
A default knowledge holder, especially for boring/long range knowledge.
Parts of it could be sprawl/archive, like Know/
Parts of it could be widely shared, for transmission of communitech.
Yeah! I would like to do a work on Politics and Communitech, in a exorcistic way. People will not get tripped up by things they know.
The last statement shows a sort of witchy vibe that was going around.
The first statement shows the computer visionary head I was, the challenges I was facing (housing for projects for humanity), the functions it was sketching out for a network of readers and writers.
Is it scaring people?
That was the silicon town square I built. It was just my stuff in the end. I'm not sure if anyone "got" my online space as google docs idea. People got access, yet no creativity there beyond my studious layings. It was perhaps seeming like a cavernous space I had externalised from:
The forum, loomio, that was more active. And there was a chat too?
Community traction online is tricky. Babylon struck. We would have a news|thread system, to all locales, to instantiate our info-being in an ideal manner, if it weren't still setting up its info-thyroid functions.
The Meetings
Monthly? Yes. Before we were born into that world? Yes:
Near the beginning of the year we arrived near the end of, our later flatmate "is planning to be a short term live-in HWT/BC member for the forseeable future. She wants to put some work into developing clear policy and guidelines for the use of unit 7 as a place for short term visitors."
Here someone has been linked in. Induction. They assemble their crew-ship and recursion, which eventually lands with us for a while. On with the minutes:
Note: Briar texted Caitlin re HWT expenditure for equipment, Caitlin OK'ed the purchase of a week whacker.
The next item is also an expenditure, a stove for Unit 7, which somehow it lacks. It is OK'ed as above.
The next item is a fridge for Unit 7. Also, Briar is moving to Unit 6 (with new carpet?) and taking her fridge from Unit 1, which is to be a shared unit, so two fridges need purchased. Oh, well...
This is an issue to be discussed at a HWT meeting.
That kind of stuff. Tradesperson Health and Safety Form.
Civil Emergency: Ongoing, discussion re: in event of evacuation meet at top of parking area. In event of fire secure our home and get out, according to the fire department, don’t try to put out a fire, (I’m glad I didn’t have that advice handy when the couch outside my place caught fire - the whole place would have been at risk bc).
This suggests trying to put out the fire, to me.
Tiny Houses: Briar has not taken the action of connecting all interested people.
Connecting All Interested People.
Separation of Governance and Management: Ongoing.
Action: Paul is happy to act a Treasurer, and liase with Eleanor prior to each meeting with the goal of presenting a profit/loss for BC.
Thomas wants HWT Trustees to decide whether BC is in fact, a separate financial and legal entity, and minute a decision asap.
Things to be discussed include:
Well, in retrospect this is a telling probe of the dark matter of the system.
And of course communication strain:
Christelle stated that multiple methods of inhouse communication are not working for her. Prefer to use one main method, her option being email.
Christelle
Was a tense chick, she had been ground down by the world and all sorts. Good fundamentals. She was truly a client of the Housing For Women Trust. And I? Was I a client of Housing For Women? That's where I get my housing... Well. It was a dreamland. She had a sweet accordion but somehow we didn't party. Sadness and devotion to a lie (down). What song might affair of the moment how sing she. Weight of the crates of gear. Bitter of the fruit mine.
on with the meetings
Unit 5: Natalie and Steve want to move into unit 5 until June, when they plan move to Karamea. All are in agreement, and intend to hold a vision for more parents and children to live at BC.
This is us fleeing Christelle, our tense alienating flatmate at Unit 7, since she really wants her space well under control. I think the tiny kitchen was most annoying to share. We had been in our day room (imagine having two rooms?) teetering over tiny paintings in the mild night air, miniature musical filaments dancing. Bad art for a while there... Not sure what this parents and children comment is. Perhaps that's who they'd like instead of us. What to get of honeymoon life episode in Karamea.
Separation of BC and HWT legal and financial structures: What does that look like and what is the structure? Thomas notes it would be good to have clarity.
Action: 22/2/2018 (tomorrow) 1pm Management Meeting unit 1 for all interested
Dang, what was that meeting? I didn't go to that. Or did I? Too many meetings, not enough picnics.
Tiny House building and education. Claire wonders if we at BC would be willing to host a tiny house build and education forum on site? Answer: It was decided a while ago that BC is the wrong shape and size for a build that brings people on site on a regular basis.
Action – Briar to create a conversation/network with Greg and Claire, Karen and others around the Trust enabling tiny house builds, and how this can be accomplished.
Aha yeah, their next year or two of work is probing its beginnings. Lot of construction noise though. They ended up going out to Pete's place and it seemed to stretch out a bit.
Non violent communication – Briar orates, lots of co-words. Workbook aspect stalled. Could go off-radar, potential moot.
Now this sounds a little like artist burnout in the medium of the charity due process to be non-violent. Of course! The place is built like a resort from such degrading elements of real life. One would hope the river was swum. Great words to little rooms - Mr Sterile Assembly
BC as a separate entity. Briar: “BC is the developing commercial arm of the HFWT. We get separate financial records to read.” Paul: “A budget would be great too” agreement, meeting about that would be good. Steve: “And some attitudinal statement from the thing above”
I (Steve) seem to understand the importance of communication here. Maybe.
A budget is entirely reasonable.
The thing is:
- we pay below market rent together
- to an organisation that is barely hiding its theoretical parts (board members) from its practical parts (people enjoying shelter and community) so as to not alienate the slave from the master, to keep the genepool of ideas open and moving, to be a proper non-schismatic high-functioning organism. Ie, renaissance renting.
- Get a good thing going.
All these are worthy goals. Sustainable.
Not paying as much for executive salmon as most of the world does.
Eight little apartments. Would that be one or two leaned lives?
This model seems not to have much parasitic landed gentry vector, or at least they are on less of a hill (even slightly downhill, look at the floor elevation plans between Unit 5-6).
Oh the advantages of our 15-person economic system.
Also, the building excellence that could be tuned in on such a delicate instrument of these people and this space, enough capital to stoke a bonfire of consents and engineering work, and the beautiful magazine content that could be produced from such earth ships.
In the dunes, we make the slides for the gold to run around and down.
But hang on:
BC is the developing commercial arm of the HFWT
So it says... Anyway back to the centre of the stage:
the purpose to help Women
the function by winning the Surplus -> Thing challenge
and giving them weed whackers!
You've got to empower them - Pete
Cooperation was generally available in and out of Meetings.
Project Approval Forms were a thing I never did (FAIL) but the fence outside Unit 1 was fabricated for under $100 for example, thanks Thomas.
Paul and I went a scored paint one day, without Project approval for some reason. I think it was $50 which got quite a bit of recycled paint.
The Hall’s leaky roof Steve has finally slopped some fabric and paint over the holes, so we may not need to cover the whole thing in tarps, but can if it still leaks.
This is a great quick fix tech. The fabric helps the surface deform evenly and span gaps. The paint makes a seal.
Sharing circle – Gen wants us all to come together and share. Lets next Wednesday (18th) 7pm unit 1. Greg & Claire will be mutually exclusive due to child. I-statements.
This I remember! It was a fantastical time hearing about people's lives.
I scored points for mentioning the mountains where I am from, which is apparently hip.
That was fine, I thought. People did the non-meetings better. It was a cool bunch of people to hang out with around a fire in the cinderblock bbq area down by the hall behind the swimming pool garden.
More of the later days meetings in later days...
The Beach
Sat on the knee-height beam that must have been belly-height one day, the dune sloped to a standstill sand sill below.
We marvelled with ourselves, all identifying with BC, out on the sand.
"The beach is always different every time. My grandmother said that and now I'm saying it" Elise a groovy aunty from the seaside of a remote metropolis.
Debbie and Tim were there, they were friends of BC, live nearby. Briar? Greg and Clare? More?
Debbie recognised me from her son's wedding. He makes tiny huts, she makes harakiki bags,
Perhaps Jessica was there too... She had a life nursing at the rehab facility and getting on the chats all evening.
This is how to be. Women like a lot of people to talk to.
It was a beautiful beach scene, these people fit perfectly in my people perceptor.
Life in the slightly-north east coast of the South Island of New Zealand was humming.
The long straight road along the back of the dune, with a wall of residents' shells to the west, far beyond, the mountains.
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