Where is everyone?

["Oscar Bearinger" <oscarbear@zzzzzzzzzzzz>]

hey Stone people
glad to hear some familiar voices.
like others (I miss your meandering, Kent!) I've been keeping my head down
around here.
there was some hurtful stuff said to folks last spring (I know some of you
remember..)
especially some unfortunate arrogance when a non-English person was trying
to get heard on the list
it is much easier to say something (in haste) hurtful by email (flaming)
than it is to manage an internet discussion list
and try and control these inappropriate messages while still facilitating
the group discussion.

as you say, Karen, it's just not as much fun around here as it was!!!

very glad to hear your voice, Bob H!  I've finally moved to power tooling
and I am finding my grinder and diamond blade
is quite strong for my current marble piece.  are you referring to masonary
cutoff blades?  I haven't been to town since I read your note but I will
need to check out what "softer blades" are available to use.

a final comment (which is of course aesthetic)
Stephane Mallarme, the great French poet, speaks of "divagations," to wander
about, to digress, as an important part of  making creative expressions.
Walter Benjamin, whom I continue to study, says similar things about
wandering.

bringing this back to stone, I would suggest we first wander around the
stone with our thoughts, with our senses, for minutes, hours, days; then we
pick up the point and wander around it further - until our attention is
arrested, by the stone, by an image that comes up, by what the stone tells
us (Michelangelo).
I feel digressions are central (pun intended).  others do not feel the same.

however there are still many of us who do.

welcome back, folks.
Oscar