Best Tweets of 2009: John T. Unger Sculptural Firebowls + Art

I spent New Year's day going back and re-reading all the tweets I wrote in 2009, from top to bottom. It was kind of an interesting way to review the year and see where I'd been and what I'd been thinking about. There were so many big events this year that a lot of the comparatively smaller events and ideas had been completely lost in the shuffle (or would have been, if not for Twitter). I use BackUpMyNet to archive all my tweets, which made the whole process much easier. I can view everything on one page there, rather than constantly having to hit the "more" button on Twitter. I'll definitely make this an annual review, I think… I can't think of any other medium (email, journals, letters, etc.) that could realistically be reviewed at end of year. Looking at the whole year through Twitter definitely gave me some strong ideas about what I do and don't want to focus on in 2010.

Below are the "Best of" tweets from 2009. The ones which either made me laugh, made me think or just struck me as interesting on some level. Hope you enjoy them. I organized them chronologically (oldest to newest) since some required two or three parts.

When people say "I'm bored" replace the word bored with boring. Thu Jan 01 05:50:27 +0000 2009
I'd like to create a font called mimeo that only displays/prints in purple. Thu Jan 01 17:31:03 +0000 2009
How to get things done: make choices. live with the results or start over. Sun Jan 11 00:42:48 +0000 2009
If you're not dead you can do whatever the fuck you want. If you are dead, you probably don't need to worry about it. So do stuff. Sun Jan 11 00:56:25 +0000 2009
Her: "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" Me: "But I'm a chicken." Sun Jan 11 18:53:09 +0000 2009
Accidental beauty IS my metier. Fri Jan 16 19:23:30 +0000 2009
"You know, deep people are just as full of shit as Shallow people." - @MarcieVargas. I always knew that, but it's nice to hear it just said. Sat Jan 17 00:00:38 +0000 2009
Ownership is bondage. Bondage can be nice, but you need a safe word. Mine is "mortgage default." Mon Jan 19 20:51:33 +0000 2009
Scorpions apparently fluoresce under UV light. So, I'm picturing a black light for the yard and picking them off with my BB pistol. Tue Jan 20 23:06:47 +0000 2009
There's little more satisfying than using evil powers in the service of good and justice. Sat Jan 31 03:10:24 +0000 2009
@PaulGrahamRaven LOVE your typo "make a pint of." So many points are made over pints that it makes perfect sense to say it that way. Mon Feb 02 02:35:03 +0000 2009
You're not a bad person, you just have bad aim! Fri Feb 06 17:59:29 +0000 2009
You know how cats are mostly evil but sometimes affectionate? It's because the friction of petting them recharges their evil batteries. Fri Feb 13 01:01:14 +0000 2009
Just realized how much life has changed since I was a poet. When @neilhimself mentioned a friend's script, I first thought code not writing. Mon Feb 16 20:24:42 +0000 2009
I am always surprised when people are surprised when I do things. Fri Feb 20 03:41:31 +0000 2009
Why can't I have an air horn that also sprays mace? There are applications… Thu Mar 05 02:58:36 +0000 2009
Was trying to say Russian Constructivism and it came out "constructivision." That's my new movement, I guess, Constructivision. Sun Mar 08 17:18:37 +0000 2009
Just invented phrase "attention spam" only to google it and see that I'm way late for that. Sometimes google takes the fun out of neologism. Sun Mar 08 17:30:37 +0000 2009
Cooter holland, Keizer Wilson, marie lepanto... All the exits in arkansas sound like porn star names Wed Mar 11 07:19:07 +0000 2009
If I wanted to think about it, I'd do it myself. Sat Mar 14 01:24:57 +0000 2009
OH If I can't laugh at me, I can't laugh at you @gapingvoid Sat Mar 14 23:10:21 +0000 2009
I didn't need to know that… So I shared it with you! Wed Mar 18 01:51:48 +0000 2009
When people ask why the end of my left thumb is missing, I tell them I lost it in the 1st dot com crash. true story, abbreviated for clarity Wed Mar 18 04:03:02 +0000 2009
Be your own hero. Sat Mar 21 22:46:26 +0000 2009
I wonder if anyone ever successfully backs away from the ledge once they've lived at the edges of civilization? Sun Mar 22 16:05:23 +0000 2009
Converting knowlege to instinct is like the muscle memory that comes from physical practise in craft or sports. Sun Mar 22 17:00:24 +0000 2009
It's important to do the detailed research first, to gain an understanding of the underlying structures and patterns. Sun Mar 22 17:05:36 +0000 2009
This chain of thought came from knowing that all the trees in KS + OK were planted, not native, just by looking at them. Pattern was off. Sun Mar 22 17:09:38 +0000 2009
So I can't always tell you WHY I know what I know, but that's why I'm in arts not academia. My goal is to change, subvert or exploit pattern Sun Mar 22 17:29:03 +0000 2009
When most artists say they are "on fire" they mean inspired. When metalworkers say it, we mean that we are ON FIRE! Tue Mar 24 21:12:26 +0000 2009
I wish more people could force an equation between doable and enjoyable. As in: I enjoy what I do and do what I enjoy. Wed Mar 25 04:32:38 +0000 2009
I just think it's interesting that anti-smoking intolerance has reached a point where people leave the INTERNET if you light a smoke. funny. Fri Apr 03 00:10:09 +0000 2009
Me: so I get write off the full cost of the building instead of amortizing because I didn't put it up. WTF? Her: it's a tax shelter! Sat Apr 04 22:45:38 +0000 2009
@gapingvoid RE: art. Theory is a shortcut. It can help you cut to the chase when you're looking to break new ground. Wed Apr 08 05:02:44 +0000 2009
Miracles are easy. It's the day to day living that can get hard. Thu Apr 09 05:49:15 +0000 2009
Translate the eternal into the contemporary. Sun Apr 12 23:47:52 +0000 2009
@lisacall The number of times I could have died as a kid is roughly = to the times I didn't die as an adult, thanks to practice back then. Mon Apr 13 18:33:15 +0000 2009
@jonathanmead Most strengths + weakness are context-dependent. For instance, it's bad to talk loudly in a theatre. Unless you're on stage. Wed Apr 15 23:00:47 +0000 2009
@apelad I think that the mineral name amirite should be reserved for the philosopher's stone. Sun Apr 19 03:11:56 +0000 2009
personal theory: the less you want to talk about something in a relationship, the more important it probably is to do so. Sun Apr 19 22:12:46 +0000 2009
There's typecasting and then there's archetypecasting. Mon Apr 27 21:18:49 +0000 2009
You know what worries me about twitter? That we'll exhaust every pun in the English language at an accelerated rate and have no new jokes. Tue Apr 28 16:22:26 +0000 2009
The internet may well be my primary medium, despite all the physical art I make. Thu Apr 30 03:38:14 +0000 2009
Amused by the idea of trying to stuff an actual ghost down a Disposall. Thu Apr 30 09:16:52 +0000 2009
The weak keep unfollowing me. Fortunately, so many more of you are brave and strong. Sat May 02 18:14:57 +0000 2009
If you choose the right customers, only THEN is the customer always right. Sun May 03 16:54:24 +0000 2009
Just had an insight while explaining Twitter to a newbie: Twitter replies are peer-reviewed conversation. Mon May 04 18:45:12 +0000 2009
The common denominator of human nature is the desire to transcend human nature. Tue May 05 03:45:30 +0000 2009
@mrjackolson Everyone wants to be more than they are… a lover, a hero, a star, a force of nature, a god, a better rodeo rider, invincible. Tue May 05 03:52:36 +0000 2009
Commuting against traffic, counter to the conventional flow, leaves the road clear ahead and speed traps pointed away from us. Tue May 05 03:56:02 +0000 2009
It may not be going too far to say that in some very fundamental ways, you are what you speak. Tue May 05 03:57:21 +0000 2009
There is no "no." Tue May 05 03:59:49 +0000 2009
Plans are fictions. Tue May 05 04:00:04 +0000 2009
“The Way that can be spoken is not the Way.”—Lao Tzu “If you have to ask, you’ll never know.”—Duke Ellington “Whatever.”—anonymous Tue May 05 04:01:09 +0000 2009
Hey, just had a thought. We have a "social contract" right? What's the "social media contract?" Discuss. I'll check back later. Tue May 05 04:30:24 +0000 2009
My pacifist tendencies are tempered with anarchy + apocalypse, which is *exactly* why I'm oddly skilled at diplomacy. Tue May 05 05:24:51 +0000 2009
If your life isn't making you happy, then no matter how hard it is to change, it's much harder to stay the same. Tue May 05 23:04:11 +0000 2009
Norse Mythology eventually died out because many are cold but few are frozen. Thu May 07 00:32:08 +0000 2009
Knowing your mountains can sometimes keep you from getting lost! Sat May 09 19:01:50 +0000 2009
Safety, security is a lie. Ain't no such thing. The world plays rough, for keeps, + believing in safety is the first step to dying horribly. Sun May 10 06:48:23 +0000 2009
I'm always more comfortable in a precarious situation. Wed May 13 01:05:59 +0000 2009
Nothing in the middle matters. Thu May 14 04:14:29 +0000 2009
I think nature's a great idea, but just not in *my* backyard. Fri May 22 15:59:01 +0000 2009
The words we use at home are usually 4 letters or 5+ syllables. On twitter, I use fewer syllables. 'cause, you know, character count. Thu May 28 05:23:44 +0000 2009
@AdamKingStudio I've been making it up as I go along for ages… I just try to repeat the successes and scrap the mistakes. Fri May 29 04:10:30 +0000 2009
@AdamKingStudio Assuming I can figure out which parts work and which don't (which is a big assumption + you know what they say about those). Fri May 29 04:11:26 +0000 2009
When we get to Texas, I want to raise cattle… from the dead. Fri May 29 06:22:06 +0000 2009
I try really hard to make people happy. Starting with myself. Fri May 29 07:28:00 +0000 2009
What's weird about time is how it never takes time off. It just keeps incrementally accruing. That kind of consistency is unnatural. Fri May 29 07:34:04 +0000 2009
Yay! I just coined the word Prophylactweet for safe twitter practices! Sat May 30 00:56:16 +0000 2009
I accomplished my lofty, unreasonable + impossible goals today. My goals tonight are much simpler, darker and attainable. Thu Jun 04 03:28:49 +0000 2009
I was asked why I don't have more art "poor people can afford." Answer: I used to, but I got tired of being poor myself. Fri Jun 05 05:22:10 +0000 2009
If time really is the fourth dimension, then I must be entirely 3 dimensional. Time plays no determinate role in my existence. Tue Jun 09 01:55:15 +0000 2009
Impossibility is an illusion. Wed Jun 10 17:04:10 +0000 2009
@annaleekeefer The world ends every second. It begins again every second. It's always ending and beginning again. No big deal at all. Sat Jun 13 16:08:39 +0000 2009
when the world is stacked against you, it is your duty to tip the motherfucker over. Sat Jun 13 17:00:05 +0000 2009
Wisdom without profanity is shit. Sat Jun 13 18:19:08 +0000 2009
@austinkleon Best Jott typo ever was "Funky. Boom. Nothing to see, no astronaut by the side of the road." Mon Jun 22 21:28:26 +0000 2009
All day it was "hot and sticky and intolerable." Put a little liquor in me, and now suddenly it's "tropical." Funny how that works. Thu Jun 25 00:06:09 +0000 2009
I do not require all my truths to be mutually contradictory. Fri Jun 26 17:21:38 +0000 2009
Fear is thinking you have an answer when you haven't really done anything to get one. Fri Jun 26 17:26:32 +0000 2009
Life *is* pointless, but so what? Fri Jun 26 17:27:29 +0000 2009
We take a story and we tell it wrong until it makes us happy. #creativeprocess Fri Jun 26 17:27:58 +0000 2009
The only good morning is a dead morning. Tue Jun 30 15:47:53 +0000 2009
I have natural defenses against all disasters. I defeat them with miracles. Thu Jul 02 03:59:25 +0000 2009
Miracles are the unlikely results of hard work, cleverness and perspective which allow me to defeat disaster on exponential levels. Thu Jul 02 04:00:49 +0000 2009
It would be fun to add dots to the painted stripes on Highways so that the roads all told stories in Morse code. Sun Jul 05 17:26:11 +0000 2009
I am washing the taste of lamp oil out of my mouth by drinking absinthe from the bottle. This is best practices for firebreathing. Fri Jul 17 01:25:00 +0000 2009
I believe in ghosts and Gods but refuse to take them any more seriously than other parts of nature. Sat Jul 18 22:20:32 +0000 2009
They're just fancy animals, man. Tricky fancy animals. Sat Jul 18 22:22:15 +0000 2009
Anything I say after midnight eastern time should be taken with a rim of salt. Sun Jul 26 04:07:20 +0000 2009
Contributing to the culture I consume would feel like paying the bills, except I like doing my part. Actually, I like paying the bills too. Mon Jul 27 08:43:18 +0000 2009
It's a nice feeling not to be in debt. Culturally even more than monetarily. Mon Jul 27 08:43:48 +0000 2009
If you give a bureaucrat the opportunity to practice their craft, they will. Tue Jul 28 21:50:48 +0000 2009
.@whatsnext You've just given me a great idea! A computer virus that disables only the exclamation point key and the caps lock key. Tue Aug 04 22:15:24 +0000 2009
Acceleration accelerates. Accretion accretes. Wed Aug 05 04:54:23 +0000 2009
.@WoodworthArt One of my core business philosophies is that the only things worth pursuing are the ones that benefit everyone in some way. Thu Aug 06 20:02:42 +0000 2009
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder. Sat Aug 08 06:16:46 +0000 2009
Just because it kinda makes sense doesn't mean it means anything. Tue Aug 11 03:52:27 +0000 2009
Note to self: You could TOTALLY encode messages into most techno music using Morse Code. Fri Aug 14 21:59:01 +0000 2009
Adversity was long my metier, and my method was victory. Fri Aug 21 00:41:45 +0000 2009
When people tell you that you should be afraid of something, tell them to fuck off. They're almost certainly lying or about to lie. Fri Sep 04 21:58:22 +0000 2009
A disaster avoided is good. A disaster surpassed is greater. To turn a disaster to serve one's own goals and will is best. Sat Sep 12 21:54:02 +0000 2009
Will is more important than nature or nurture. Having tried all three. Mon Sep 14 04:15:44 +0000 2009
I'm a force of nature myself, so me against the weather would be a fair fight. Except that I plan to cheat. Tue Sep 22 03:14:20 +0000 2009
When your enemies inspire you to greatness, all have done their job. Tue Sep 22 03:46:10 +0000 2009
The problem with Trickster gods and spirits? They show up. They are a VERY hands-on bunch. Tue Sep 22 04:07:06 +0000 2009
Reason can never truly subvert desire, because we do not "have desire," desire has us. Usually by the balls. Sun Sep 27 15:42:55 +0000 2009
The fact of the matter is that we are living in a furiously somnolent world. Sun Sep 27 16:02:35 +0000 2009
Making myths is not much different from starting rumors. Sun Sep 27 16:16:23 +0000 2009
Often, a thing becomes true regardless of veracity, just because it makes so much sense or successfully stirs the social libido. Sun Sep 27 16:16:28 +0000 2009
Headlines that inspire fear get attention, but do no one any real good. Tue Sep 29 03:42:05 +0000 2009
People who seek to inspire panic really need a strong punch in the mouth. It's a low art, and deserves hefty criticism. Tue Sep 29 03:47:00 +0000 2009
The other day I described an actress as a "commodity blonde." I'm surprised that isn't a term of art in casting. Wed Sep 30 04:02:35 +0000 2009
I could make really cool TV dinner trays from the face of old cathode ray tubes. Except for the bit where they tend to explode… Wed Sep 30 04:07:42 +0000 2009
Money is a blunt instrument. So is a hammer. You can build a LOT of shit with a hammer. Wed Sep 30 04:15:03 +0000 2009
The best form of capital is respect from your peers. And there ain't no shortcut to earn it. Sat Oct 03 07:10:32 +0000 2009
.@Buffalokid I think of creating art much more as rock n' roll than meditation. The physical part is dance, the mental part is poetry. Mon Oct 05 04:33:41 +0000 2009
Good design takes so frickin' long. I wish I could design as fast as I can build. Building shit is the EASY part. Mon Oct 05 06:40:02 +0000 2009
OH "Saint Hyperbole— Yeah, he's the saint of Evvvverything." Tue Oct 06 01:14:12 +0000 2009
PSA: martinis made with everclear should be savored not slammed. (from here on in, I'm not correcting my typos). Tue Oct 06 05:22:27 +0000 2009
Sometimes i feel weird tweeting aphorisms. Then I remember I set out to be a holy fool and it's just part of the gig. Tue Oct 06 05:34:00 +0000 2009
If burning coal wipes out the planet, then the dinosaurs win. Well, kind of. Sat Oct 10 05:19:45 +0000 2009
I made a pact with mythic narrative early on: I'd live large, live reasonably long and in turn I would never be bored. Tue Oct 13 15:41:26 +0000 2009
.@corewarrior The fearful inner artist who would succeed adopts the mantra "fuck you" and carries it into battle with a smile. Mon Oct 19 22:51:25 +0000 2009
I didn't get much encouragement, until I didn't need it so much anymore. Back then I had to make it myself. I appreciate it now though. Mon Oct 19 22:53:08 +0000 2009
Remember: Fear will fuck you every time. But it's better to beat it than avoid it, because avoidance is a form of fear. Tue Oct 20 04:04:00 +0000 2009
There are three things required to make art: time, space and materials. You need all three. No two of them will work on their own. Sat Oct 24 05:36:56 +0000 2009
I grew up reading heroic literature. That was my aspiration, to live as my heroes had lived. Many people counseled against this idea. Wed Nov 11 05:19:03 +0000 2009
I was always like "what? Bruce Wayne has no powers, just money and determination + he could do it without the money. Look at Woody Guthry." Wed Nov 11 05:21:56 +0000 2009
What makes a hero, or a folk hero, is that they are always about something bigger than themselves. I believe in that. You act for others. Wed Nov 11 05:24:08 +0000 2009
A hero, no matter how much they appreciate attention, always works for the public good and for others. Bottom line. Wed Nov 11 05:31:46 +0000 2009
The world is my laboratory. Experimentation is my life. Tue Nov 17 18:23:33 +0000 2009
Cats are made of irony. Sun Nov 29 16:14:45 +0000 2009
We have pills for people who suffer iron deficiency. Why aren't there pills for irony deficiency? Sun Nov 29 16:16:52 +0000 2009
@mrjackolson it makes a distinctive staticky noise when it dies. We should all do that, now that I think of it. Sat Dec 12 09:05:25 +0000 2009
"There's a time for reciting poems and a time for fists" Marcie quoted. "Who tweeted that, @RobertBruce?" I ask. It's from a book, she says. Wed Dec 23 21:17:01 +0000 2009
Which is when I realized that I assume all sentences under 140 characters must come from Twitter. Damn. Wed Dec 23 21:17:31 +0000 2009
It's been so long since anyone quoted something short from a book that I almost forgot you could do that. Wed Dec 23 21:19:15 +0000 2009
I wish DVDs were like cereal boxes… when it says "security device enclosed" I always hope for a free taser or can of mace. Fri Jan 01 02:08:47 +0000 2010
OH: I suppose that would be fair, but how does that make it relevant? Fri Jan 01 04:05:26 +0000 2010