Day 18 of The Year Apart (and Sometimes Not)

Today's challenge was offered up by Charles:

"Today’s Challenge:

Take 30-45 minutes to write an obituary for your twin. The conceit is that your twin lived a long and full life. Try to stick to that window of time"

Here are the results. 

Charles about Davis:

Davis “D-Pop” Haines, 90, of Birmingham, AL, clocked out of his last shift being human on spaceship E(art)h. A jolly old fellow until his final breath, Davis was rich in smiles and chuckles, a wealth he distributed evenly to all of his children who stood by his side until the very end.

A comedian, voice-over actor, serious actor, drummer, singer and showman, Davis always found a way to perform in front of a crowd. With a fondness for performing in elegant concert halls, on front porches, in cabaret theaters, and preschool classrooms, Davis was always willing to “go the extra mile for an extra big smile,” whether it be a thick southern accent, a operatic rendition of “My Sharona,” or balloon animals, a skill he took great pride in throughout his 70s.

He is perhaps most well known for his lifelong collaborative relationship with his identical twin brother Charles. Known as the Haines Sisters, the two were responsible for 2 hit Broadway musicals, 5 touring productions, 3 feature length films, as well as a myriad of what might best be described as “antics.” Both of the Sisters agreed that, despite colorful careers collaborating with fascinating characters from around the world, being creative together brought them a sort of comfort that remained unmatched throughout their lives.

Outside of performing, Davis was a passionate spokesperson and advocate for the rights and needs of peoples with disabilities. He established the Foundation for Integrating Abilities which created community organization programs that blended people of all abilities as equals in charitable efforts. Davis would often be seen alongside volunteers doing his best to distract their efforts with his “humor jokes.”

Most importantly, though, Davis is survived by his incredibly loving and patient wife Leeann Haines, whose blue eyes and kind he(art) kept Davis’ beating steadily for over 50 years. Their love was characterized by walks to the bakery, frequent trips to Paris, and daily celebrations of Leeann’s birthday. Together they raised 3 children and were incredibly helpful in raising 7 grandchildren, all of whom were, as Davis was fond of saying “mostly perfect.” His final wish was to hold his wife’s hand and sing their favorite song, the name of which they decided to keep between the two of them for all of time.

 

Davis about Charles:

Charles Bankhead Haines, age 87, of Hilo, HI, left Earth today, February 16th, 2077 at 7:11am of old age. He is survived by his partner Charlotte and their two kids, Kai and Fleur, his 8 grandchildren, brother Davis (Leeann) Haines, sister Lillian (Shawn) Sharp, brother Kent (Andrea) Haines, and countless little ones. He is preceded in death by his parents Charles Davis Haines, Jr. and Rebecca Oliver Haines, his step mother Nancy Musser Haines, and several cats. He was born on June 28, 1990, just ten minutes before his beloved twin brother Davis, in Birmingham, AL. They spent most of their time performing in front of the reflections in the televisions they weren’t allowed to watch until someone finally put them on a stage. Charles graduated high school early and spent a brief time at both Boston Conservatory and DePaul University, where he was a leader in both a cappella and the college radio station. After leaving school, he remained in Chicago working in coffee shops to support his funk band and vaudeville habits until he had had enough fun and moved to Hawaii. There, he met Charlotte, his partner, where they began to build a family. In Hilo, Charles worked as a teacher of voices, with many private students locally and globally. He founded the Hilo Heart Choir, a community choir that travels the world singing with, building homes for, and feeding the less fortunate. His collaboration with his brother Davis, The Haines Sisters, is internationally recognized for their various films, Broadway shows, and Internet collaborations. A lover of music of all kind, Charles travelled extensively across the globe, celebrating and collaborating with artists from many cultures. This love of international music is displayed in his award-winning radio program, The Global Aurality. He loved fruit, friends, and his freedom. The service will be held at Honoli’i Beach Park this Thursday at sunset. In lieu of gifts, the deceased requests that you donate to a local charity that supports the sustainability and equality of local indigenous communities. And in lieu of tears, the deceased has requested that a dance party begin on his behalf just as the sun falls beneath the horizon. He hopes to see you there.

Day 14 of The Year Apart (and Sometimes Not)

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Charles brought a big one to the table today.

"Today’s challenge:

Make an Index Card Story Movie.

Take a bunch of index cards and write a story.

Make a 1-2 minute movie holding the index cards up to the camera.

It can be funny, true, dramatic, factual, as long as it tells a story.

Also, choose appropriate music to score your piece."

 

Here is Charles' story:

And Davis' story:

Day 13 of The Year Apart (and Sometimes Not)

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Davis began the week with a beautiful suggestion.

"Today’s Challenge:

Write a sonnet. 14 lines. a-b-a-b c-d-c-d e-f-e-f g-g format.

in iambic pentameter."

 

Here is Charles' piece:

 

"The poet sits before his moving screen

And here he types and tries to find the voice

Hidden within the time and rhyming scheme

But stunted by each every approaching choice

 

To simply put inside the blocks of words

An assembly of similes to convey his talent

Would sacrifice the flow for the absurd

And reveal that skill was something that he’d hadn’t

 

And yet the bastard spilled across the page

and worked his way into a passioned clip

His early lines he chocked them up to age

He trusted that the point would start to tip

 

And thus he’d found himself damn near the end

And told himself he’d have to try again"

 

And here is Davis' piece:

 

"

I walk and think ‘bout that which I have lost

The innocence and boyhood dreams I’ve known

I’ve grown into a man; and at what cost?

To be mature, and, to be sure, alone

 

When I was young, my dreams were open skies

Boundless as they boldly twist and turn’d

And now those dreams, I’m told, are distant lies

Isolated by the fear I’ve learned

 

I must defy the nature of this path

And so, my love, my dreams I cannot scorn

To pierce the shell of crippling terror’s wrath

And live the purpose for which I was born

 

I pray we crack the many masks of men

And birth anew our purity again

Weekend Challenge 3 of The Year Apart (and Sometimes Not)

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Charles kicked the weekend off with this suggestion:

"Weekend Challenge:

Make an original beat using Garage Band. Avoid preset loops.

Send beat to twin and each twin writes on top of each other’s beat.

Beat due Saturday by Midnight.

Finished song due Sunday by Midnight."

 

Here is the song Davis made with Charles' Beat:

 

Here is the song Charles made with Davis' Beat:

Day 9 of The Year Apart (and Sometimes Not)

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Charles sent Davis this prompt:

"Today’s challenge:

 

Choose a song that is 20-60 seconds in length.

 

Do facography (choreography of the face) to the song.

 

Record it. Post it."

 

Here are the results!

 

Davis chose the "Interlude" from Ben Folds' 1997 project Fear of Pop:

Charles chose "Pig," the closing track from The Books' 2006 record Music for a French Elevator and Other Oddities:

Day 7 of The Year Apart (and Sometimes Not)

Davis sent Charles this prompt:

"Wed Jan 10:

Take a photo from yesterday and write 1-3 paragraphs of prose about it."

 

Here are the results!

 

Davis

The moment I met matcha, I knew we would fall in love. It was a match made in Maru*. As a long time devotee to the powers of rich, creamy espresso shots in the morning and, subsequently, a long time sufferer of unnecessary anxieties, I knew that my relationship to coffee was relatively tenuous. I knew that, no matter how good it may feel going down, this stuff I crave is also the source of a great deal of mild neuroses, unexpected bowel movements, and nervous physical tremors. But much like when you break up with a long time lover and slowly realize how entwined they were with the nature of your everyday life, I knew that saying farewell to my drug of choice would be complicated.

 

Every morning I wake up and I head to a coffee shop to get coffee and to write. It’s a ritual, it’s one of the few consistent elements of my life, and, having been an urban dweller for several years now, it has gone on for years. It’s how many of us extraverts enjoy our alone time: publicly. A coffee shop is the perfect place to begin my day. If I get there early enough, nobody is having loud conversations, my fellow patrons are reading or simply sipping hot beverages as we all, baristas and customers alike, collectively blink our way into consciousness. If I were to give up coffee, that sweet, thick mud for the mind, I figured I’d give up the very foundation of my everyday contentment. At the same time, however, I knew that this divine drink was stripping me of my natural energy and ability to keep my cool.

 

One day, as I waited my turn to ask for “an espresso for here, please,” I saw a man order matcha. I immediately recalled an interaction I had with a barista at another shop down the way. She had switched to matcha for similar reasons. I asked her how it was going and she said she felt foggy, but happy — she had only just started— and had heard that it’s a great move for us lightweights. My curiosity piqued, and when it came to be my turn, I asked the barista there why someone would choose matcha. He described to me how the green tea was made in a ritualistic fashion, how it was less harsh than coffee and, since it contained tannins like wine, it actually had both a caffeinating and a mellowing affect on its drinkers. I was sold. Though I would miss my ristretto with that oak-like tint, I would move my way up into the realm of the leaves! No flop sweats while journaling, no jitters, no pacing outside of bathrooms. Better yet, with a bit of warm oat milk and a touch of sweetener, the stuff is delicious. I still vacation in espresso land from time to time, but when I know what’s good for me, I’m a matcha man.

 

*Maru is a coffee shop in Hillhurst Ave.

 

Charles

When you’re in the market for land, they don’t describe it as “used.” “Acreage for sale, rich soil, like new!” When Uncle Jeffrey showed us the parcel he’d acquired with his saved-up VA disability stipend, you could almost see the other stories flying around the place. A little hodge-podge home with one whole side rotting away, like the guy built it and just forgot to put sealant on the westward-facing wood. An ironwood trough with what seemed like railroad spikes locking it into a prideful non-decay. A pile of rusted farmstuffs housed in the shell of a doorless barn. The skeletal remains of a greenhouse, poles picked like carrion. And the row of sunflowers, petals a vibrant lemon gold, shining for God or anyone who knows Her.

Day 6 of the Year Apart (and Sometimes Not)

Day 6

 

Charles sent the following prompt:

"Tues Jan 9:

Going along with the triptych theme.

Take 3 photos today.

1 photo of something you love

1 photo of some place you love

1 photo of someone you love

This is a photography challenge, so focus on presenting the subjects beautifully. The photos are Art, not casual.

That’s it!"

 

Here are the results:

Charles

Something you love

Something you love

Some place you love

Some place you love

Someone you love

Someone you love

Davis

Something you love

Something you love

Some place you love

Some place you love

Someone you love

Someone you love

Day 5 of the Year Apart (and Sometimes Not)

Day 5

 

Davis sent this prompt:

"Monday, January 8:

Write 3 limericks. Send me one in the Morning, one in the Afternoon, and one at Night."

Here are the results:

 

Morning (Davis)

I woke up with my head in a knot

From an illness I seem to have caught

My throat’s sore and dry

There’s gunk in my eye

I can barely write poems through the snot

 

Morning (Charles)

Today I caught a few waves

Out there in the Surf I could stay

But life’s full of stuff

And the waves were enough

To ensure that I have a great day

 

Afternoon (Davis)

As if God finally heard all our pleas

Walking down for my Vietnamese

The rain falls and it drops

And I pray never stops

Lest it end up a terrible tease

 

Afternoon (Charles)

In class today we were clapping

The rhythms of tripl-ets tapping

We were trying to find

“The feeling of time”

But it just seemed like lots of hands slapping

 

Evening (Davis) 

This illness has been all but gentle

My dinner soup: Indian lentil

The Bama game’s on

And I watch through a yawn

While we execute straight fundamentals

 

Evening (Charles)

The chef of the night was named Dao

The Thai food she made was, like, “Wow!”

I made a big plate

And I ate and I ate

As much as sweet Dao would allow

Weekend Challenge 1 of the Year Apart (and Sometimes Not)

Weekend Challenge #1:

We each send each other a portrait of picture of someone. We write a story song about the person in the picture we receive. It must be at least 1 minute in length. We record a video of us performing that song.

Picture is due tonight by Midnight.

Song/Video is due by Midnight Sunday.

Here is what Charles sent Davis:

Delilah.JPG

Here's what Davis wrote:

Here's what Davis sent Charles

Curtis.JPEG

Here's what Charles wrote: