Goodbye Forever

Hey! Don't read this!

Read this -Hot Air

It's a little bit me.

It's a little bit you. (If you are Marigold. Otherwise, don't read that, because it won't make any sense.)

Anyway, it's new! Improved! Faster! Hipper! Squishier!

Extinct #1

This is one of the many things I have been busy with this last week. I wanted to have some more examples of more traditional oil paintings for my applications to colleges for teaching. Also, there is a call for entries for an upcoming bird show, so in a sense they kill two birds with one stone.

I also bought a suit yesterday from Men's Warehouse. I need one if I am to enter the world of adults soon. I felt like a little boy getting his first neck tie. Of course, the salesman, Earl, knew that as well. When it came to trying the pants on, I realized that I wasn't wearing any underwear. I used to make this a policy on days off - "No Work, No Underwear. It's my day off!" But that soon proved to be impractical, especially when clothes shopping. Anyway, it's a good thing I bought the suit.

I am very happy that we got back online at home. Oh! Sweet internet. How I missed you!

Destination: Baghdad

Ha! This made me smile today. My My Yahoo home page always attempts to entice me on a vacation to some exotic place along with listing what's on TV tonight and what new albums I just might want to drop some dough on. This is the hazardous part of letting a computer do the listings for you. Usually they list somewhat vacationy places like St. Thomas, or Poland. They have made me smile with offers of glamorous trips to fabulous Cleveland before, but never have they made as big a blunder as this.

Still though, I'll bet that Baghdad would be great in better times. Like in the 12 hundreds if you're a fat sultan.

Illustration Friday - Sea

So this is my first entry for Illustration Friday. This is a great idea for a site/community. Every Friday they post a new subject to create an illustration to. Wonderful for staying inspired and motivated. I will try to participate every week with more than this. This is the illustration I did for my self-promotion postcard mailer a few months ago. It happens to fit the category. So does this, but I posted that a while ago.

I also signed up for the Creative Postcard Club. This is even better. A smallish group of people (10 - 25) get an assignment for the theme of the postcard that they will then produce and send to all the other people. It is right down my ally. I haven't made a homemade postcard for the hell of it in a while, but I have been itching to lately. Now I have deadlines to keep me on track. I think that this might be a good exposure for my illustration as well. Most of the people participating are designers, not illustrators, so they could theoretically hire me someday. Or more likely become a worthy business contact or friend.

I found both these communities through Holli Conger's blog, a girl who creates. She had a year long series of "articles" about her journey to becoming a successful children's illustrator. It was inspiring to read and contained a few tidbits of info that SCAD hasn't had the kindness to siphon into my head. Now that I am almost done with school, I am find the resources to achieve a freelance career without it! Ah well, It has been a blast for more reasons than the basics logistics of going to class. Also, I can now teach with my "terminal" degree. I am trying to send out at least eight application packages this week.

Downs and Ups

My last quarter of my graduate educational adventure started this week. When seeing people after four plus weeks of absence the obvious question is, "How was your break?" I have been saying, "Ups and downs . . ." and then I kick them in the nuts. "Like that." I'll say as I gloat over their quivering body.

Not really. Some of that retelling was fabricated.

So I have been very busy of late. "doing what, my spermicidely challenged friend?" you might ask. "Making babies is hard work" I'll respond with a wink. And then you'll kick me in the nuts and gloat over my quivering body, "Well, I hope you're open to adoption from now on, my punorible friend."

"I am." I squeak from the ground.

I have a lesson plan, four paintings and at least one illustration to complete by Monday. I believe in starting the quarter off with a kick. To the nuts. I hope to get out several application packages to colleges by Monday as well. Most schools have deadlines that are either this week or next. If the gods smile on me I'll get one of those jobs. But then Marigold and I will have the dilemma of having a baby just around the time of moving to a strange new place. That just ain't right. So who knows what will happen. As the wise and tragic Michael Hutchence once penned, "Sometimes you Kick. Sometimes you get kicked." And we are kicking like a full-term fetus in a pregnant lady surrounded by angry mules.