the wit of the staircase

i was so sad to hear about jeremy blake and theresa duncan's suicides. i have always loved jeremy's work and followed him since punch drunk love and beck's sea changes. i was supposed to see him speak back in 2005 but never made it to the sfmoma that evening.... i think i had to work a late shift at BAVC then, so dumb. that exhibit was fantastic though, and i remember thinking how ahead of his time he was.
the church of scientology is by far one of the most bizaar and honestly scariest religious inventions created in the US. Its connections to the conservative right, to hollywood and to politics and money are, i guess pretty normal sounding. but it becomes creepiest when you know someone who's actually getting sucked into it. and by sucked, i mean completely and totally. once you have a toe in the door you are commited for life. my friend caitlin told me how her mom came to LA in the late seventies and had a small run in with the church. she said that upon realizing that she was not interested in joining they threatened her by saying that she would never, ever work another day in los angeles or california and that they would "crush her" by killing her reputation. well, she ended up escaping through a bathroom window in the church. crazy. i have another friend who went through whats called "purif" where u purify yourself until they decide you are cleansed of your sins - or toxins. you have to spend 5 hours a day in a sauna until you are pure. this friend spent 44 days straight in the sauna. this just doesn't sound correct to me.... jesus. well, as long as they have an ambassador like this guy things should just keep being prosperous for them.