03.24.09
One Freakin’ Year Ago…
I was in a truck with my honey, just crossing the PA border with all my possessions in the back. The ground still had traces of snow and I hadn’t even wiped the dust of NYC from my boots…
03.19.09
Wow.
Its been EXACTLY one month since I’ve written.
I’ve been looking at houses.
I’m one month away from getting married.
I’ve accepted full time at the old vocation.
I haven’t painted.
02.19.09
Seriously - the insiders scoop on the Post Monkey
Those of you who know me, know that I worked for many a year at the (in)famous Post. The lastest controversy is this:
The whole internet is up in arms about ‘racism’ and ‘Evil murdoch Empire’ and how the Post ‘hates minorities’.
Well - its not as deep a conspiracy as people would like to believe. Having worked there, and having an interest in art, I gravitated towards those who did it, made a living from it and had work published. Always network kids - you never know who can help your career, especially if they are higher on the food chain than you.
Delonas is no boogey-man. He’s an average guy, who happens to be an amazing painter, but also one who does cartoons for a newspaper. His accomplice is an older features editor and the two of them share a dinky little office where they spend most of their time making dick and fart jokes. If you’ve ever seen ‘Chasing Amy’, the relationship would be similar to Holden and Banky - two guys who have a job based on being immature.
In this instance, I’d have to say it was no more than poor judgement (c’mon - its the POST, they hired ME - how much more bad judgment do you need?)- they made a stupid cartoon that should have been relegated to the dumpster, passed along to a city desk editor who exercized equally bad judgment (Frank - I’m looking at you…) and it ran without any oversight.
Remember, this is the same paper that called Dick Gephart as Kerry’s VP pick - and whose most famous headline is ‘Headless Body Found In Topless Bar’
01.30.09
Temperature Conversion Chart
from the Fiancee’
Temperature Conversion Chart
@ +70 degrees
Texans turn on the heat and unpack the thermal underwear.
People in Ohio go swimming in the Rivers.
@ +60 degrees
North Carolinians try to turn on the heat.
People in Ohio plant gardens.
@ +50 degrees
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Ohio sunbathe.
@ +40 degrees
Italian & English cars won’t start.
People in Ohio drive with the windows down.
@ +32 degrees
Distilled water freezes.
Lake Erie water gets thicker.
@ +20 degrees
Floridians put on coats, thermal underwear, gloves and woolly hats.
People in Ohio throw on a flannel shirt.
@ +15 degrees
Philadelphia landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Ohio have the last cookout before it gets cold.
@ +10 degrees
People in Miami all die.
Buckeyes lick the flagpole.
@ 0 degrees
Californians fly away to Mexico .
People in Ohio get out their winter coats.
@ -10 degrees
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Ohio are selling cookies door to door.
@ -25 degrees
Polar bears begin to evacuate the Arctic .
Ohio Boy Scouts postpone “Winter Survival” classes until it gets cold
enough.
@ -30 degrees
Mount St. Helen’s freezes.
People in Ohio rent some videos.
@ -40 degrees
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Buckeyes get frustrated because they can’t thaw the keg.
@ -45 degrees
Microbial life no longer survives on dairy products.
Cows in Ohio complain about farmers with cold hands.
@ -60 degrees
ALL atomic motion stops (absolute zero in the Kelvin scale).
People in Ohio start saying, “Cold ’nuff for ya?”
@ -100 degrees
Hell freezes over.
The Cleveland Browns win the Super Bowl!
01.20.09
That Dude really knew women…
Recently, my sister gave me a photo of my younger niece, asking me to confirm a suspicion that she bore more than a passing resemblance to La Giaconda, or the Mona Lisa, to you.
I had written the request off, simply as a mother thinking too highly of her offspring and - with my busy schedule, far too important to take such a trivial request seriously. It wasn’t until my computer was busy cranking out some bit of fluff - an animation, rendering video, I really can’t remember what, but I had taken the nieceling’s photo and ran it thru photoshop and slapped it onto a cribbed image of DaVinci’s work to satisfy some familial obligation.
When I did, it was a slap to the face.
Granted - all faces have similar proportions. Unless you’ve had a portion of your moved several inches to the left in an unfortunate industrial accident; we all have roughly similar ratios as to how far apart our eyes are, how the pupils are directly in line with the corners of out mouths, etc. Every first year art student is drilled with these little bits of trivia in order to improve their drawing skills.
What struck me the most, was the uncanny similarity when i started lining up their respective features. Now either my niece does bear an uncanny resemblance; or DaVinci had his proportions down so perfectly that any woman could fit his mold - thus explaining why we all are so drawn to the Mona Lisa; we see our own ideals of beauty reflected in her.
Thus: two projects are born. One, to take other faces and superimpose them on top of La Giaconda - to see if DaVinci was indeed a master of proportion - or to teach my niece how to do the famous ‘downward smile’ and see if she really does have more than a passing resemblance to the painting that graces the Louvre.
01.14.09
Been saying this for years…
I love it when a good idea gets put into use.
Ever since the internet started gaining prominence in our daily lives, I saw it as a potential tool for people to have input in their lives, and in the lives of their community. I saw it as a means that people could vote, not just for people - but for ideas. My idea simply had the populace be able to vote on issues affecting our lives and the course of our nation to determine where we go.
What I saw yesterday was even better. Change.gov’s Citizen’s Briefing Book
It looks like the Obama team took the nugget of my idea and expanded on it - they’re taking suggestions from the people - and we can vote up the ideas we like / vote down those that we don’t. Just like Reddit, except on more important things than cute animal pictures and socially outraged YouTube links.
I signed up the millisecond I saw it. And started voting on things. I don’t care if they really act on these things or not. A good idea, once its out, will spread like wildfire. And as soon as enough people hear about it…
Now, I’m off to convince the people that we need to put mega-crooks like Madoff in hardcore jails, and not Club Fed.
01.09.09
‘I’ll bet someone back east is going, “Now why don’t he write?”‘
I know, I know - I’ve used that quote before, its from ‘Dances With Wolves’.
Still, its a classic. And an apropos one too.
So lets see - where I left off… ah - the trip to NYC. Far too much to do in such a little time. I’m glad to have seen the majority of my friends, bummed that I didn’t get to see all of them and was in a constant state of ‘checking’ to see what has changed, and what hasn’t. The biggest surprise was that a former residence of mine was shut down; for a very surprising reason:
Still, I thoroughly enjoyed myself - and must thank the gang for housing and feeding me and the fiancee’. When y’all make the trip out here - we will do our best to accommodate you as well - especially plying you with cheap ale.
The highlight of our trip was filming for our annual Christmas video, and I’m certain that everyone is so over the holiday season, but take a look if you dare:
And then we returned to the midwest and the holidays - and a huge nod to the fiancee’s mother; who gave us one of the best gifts a couple could ever dream of:
A Nintendo Wii.
If one can have any more fun than with this thing; its probably illegal. Being a hardcore gamer, I kinda scoffed at this console (hey, I’m a PC gamer - I scoff at consoles too) but the microsecond I tried the boxing on Wii Sports - I was instantly thrown back to the old arcade days playing ‘Super Punch Out’. (and I hear they’ve got a version of that old classic in the works!)
The best part? We also got the Wii Fit. Its as cool as it looks. You see the viral video touting it?
I’m getting pretty good at that hula-hoop game…
12.23.08
Holiday Cheer
Back in the arctic tundra, NYC was awesome as always…
Currently trying to crank out the Christmas Video as fast as I can - so I’ll be brief here. Pictures will follow, as well as art and texture maps.
Many thanks to Joe, Jonathan, Heather, Dave & Kristen for making the trip awesome. And it was great to see many friends.
On a downer note - I deleted a fair # of users of this blog - namely spammers from gawab.com - If I zapped you by accident, email me & I’ll put you back, otherwise - the same to you…
12.11.08
I’m in a New York State of Mind
t-minus One Day and I’m back in NY. 9 months since I left
Wonder what’s changed…
Will be at the Volcano on Sat. nite for those who wish to imbibe and catch up!
12.09.08
The 2009 Fletcher Studios calendar is out!
Took a bit more time than I wanted - but here it is in all its glory - buy yours now!
