Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Where Are My Waffles?!?!?

CHAPTER ONE: The End Is Near...
Lovely day. The sky was a beautiful shade of light blue, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. The thermometer hung right around 80 degrees for most of the day, and a light breeze kept things comfortable. For a while I just sat in my chair in the garage doorway, sipping an ice cold Coke Zero (shameless product placement), and wearing as few clothes as is permissible by law. The cicadas were buzzing in the trees, and I was just sitting and watching the world go by.
But even while enjoying this situation as much as I could, I had no choice to acknowledge that it would soon be ending. Along those lines, I had a chance to think about the list of things I had said I was going to complete during this time off. You could say that about none of it got done. If you look at that as being at all important, then I guess you would say that these days off were a waste. Then I would say that I don't freakin care and you should go back to watching American Idol and leave me the hell alone.

CHAPTER TWO: Divided I Fail?
Just sitting here, I can tell you that the flowerbeds are looking especially ratty this year. There is still furniture downstairs that I haven't refinished yet, and who knows what I could find should I look much further beyond that. Seems like it's once again time to concentrate on focusing my efforts into the things that I say are important to me. There's nothing wrong with watching Cash Cab (more product placement), or playing Momentum Missile Mayhem 3 (still more product placement), but if that's what I'm doing instead of working on a sketch or a carving, then it becomes fairly obvious which has the higher degree of importance to me. I think it would be also safe to conclude that might be a large part of what continuously twists my brain into tiny little knots. So, it would be safe to say that there are enough hours in the day to do what I want to do. I just have to be more aware of what it is that I really want to do. The TV and the computer have to become consciously less important before that time to work on art will appear. And if I do end up having a sales outlet on the left coast, I think I will need that extra time. Right now, I would rather be back outside with a nice cool summer breeze blowing up my kilt, but the mosquitoes have come out and that could be a bit problematic.

CHAPTER THREE: Am I Gonna Have To Hire Richard Dawson?
Be sure to vote on the new poll that I have posted on the left side of the page! You, my loyal (!?!?), and in some cases, rather strange, readers will decide what form my next major art project will take!The categories are as follows:
  • Log/Round Tiki: See the slideshow down at the bottom of the page for an example of this. Of course, scale and theme will be left to my discretion if this ends up being the winner.
  • Painting: Um, this should be fairly self explanatory. Most likely it would be an arcrylic from my current Bluegirl series.
  • Plank/Flat Tiki: Same as the first entry on this list, but a lot less round.
  • Marble Coaster: A mixed media track on which marbles travel from top to bottom propelled by gravity.
  • Scrap Sculptures: 3D mixed media figures usually of a somewhat creepy appearance.
Poll will remain open until the 5th of next month, so go ahead and put your two cents worth in!

CHAPTER FOUR: Hasta La Vista, Tiki
Well, it seems that I may have actually completed a project ahead of schedule. Should that actually be the case, I fully expect that pigs will begin taking to the air. More likely is the idea that I didn't really have a set schedule, and it just seems like I finished early. If you've checked out my online photo album at all, you may have seen the project I've been working on and bitching about for most of the summer. Well, it's done. Or at least as done as I intend to make it. And, if you can't find the pics I've posted, I have no intent of telling you where they are.
So far, the only things lacking on this piece are a name/title, and a signature. So far, a name has eluded me, and the stain hasn't really cured enough for me to sign it. Hopefully both will happen by Friday, as that is the completely arbitrary date I have selected for it to be shipped out to it's new home, a private collection in central IL. If I don't have a name for it, or the stain isn't cured, or it hasn't been signed, well, then that date could be pushed back a week or so. But beyond that, I can't wait to see the expressions on the faces of the people at the shipping place when I walk in with that over my shoulder.
But now that that piece is done, I find myself in a bit of an artistic clearing. Hence the somewhat pitiful request for anonymous guidance in the form of a poll. Bluegirl is still providing me with plenty of material to work with, and I have no intention of refusing any more that may come my way. Those types of things I do like to let sit for a while before I start to work with them, though. Perhaps some poetry or generally creative writing will fill the void until I hear the voice of the people.

CHAPTER FIVE: I Feel Like Rip Van Winkle

**WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS RECYCLED, PRE-RANTED MATERIAL**

Never in my life, and I do mean never, have I seen jack-o-lanterns out at the same time as back to school supplies! There seem to be a large number of people out there who are in need of a serious WTF slap, and I am more than willing to volunteer my time to such a wonderful cause. Makes me feel like the natural order of things has once again spun way off kilter. But then I realize that the basic premise of things being on kilter at some point in time is most likely wrong. So, the only thing I can rationally conclude is that SOMEONE OUT THERE IS JUST FUCKING WITH ME!! That being said, I realize I must consign myself to being surrounded by the brain spinning reasoning of average folk.
Mind you, I am a HUGE fan of H'ween (as all of us in the know call it), and it fills me with great glee to wander through the stores looking at all the wonderful things that will cause me to part with large sums of money. But H'ween knows it's place. It's place is nowhere near green trees, corn in the fields, and open swimming pools! More distressing is the notion that after this brief nod to my favorite holiday, the shelves will be stripped bare (in the next day or two, most likely), to make way for all the Christmas stuff. I would be willing to bet that if I even wait until October starts, I will be more likely to find Santas instead of skeletons. Got to make sure I get my LED light up animatronic inflatable Hannah Montana and baby Jesus yard display while I'm still mowing the yard, I guess.
Suddenly, I am inspired to have a party. A party at a time of year when there seems to be nothing on the horizon. A time of year when people are back to being the people they pretended not to be in December. A Dead of Winter party. Keep your eyes out for details on this one....

CHAPTER SIX: No, I Don't Wanna Take It For A Test Drive!
Something seems to have gotten under Pinklady's skin regarding cars of late. We've got until January or so to pay on her car, then we own it. Yay! That means no more car payments. Double yay! But all the offers of low rates, customer loyalty bonuses, and ridiculously long loan periods seem to have caught her attention. This results in us not quite seeing eye to eye, yet again. My premise is that after we're done paying her car off, the money that we would normally send to Ford could instead go to one of the other people we owe money to for all the remodeling. Not to mention that the purchase of a furnace seems to be almost necessary this year. Her premise is that it would seem to be somewhat stupid to not take advantage of the financing offers, especially when we owe less on the car than the Kelley Blue Book says it's worth. Also, she has a deep seated fear of having two car payments going on at the same time (should we both need to replace our respective vehicles). I can't say that her point is invalid, but I have a hard time taking on a new multi-year car loan when the end of the current one is in sight. I'm sure we'll be skirmishing more on this one in the near future.

TELESCOPING BALL POINT WALLET FOLDERS
**Have I mentioned how enjoyable my allergies are? No, really, I mean that. They're so much fun, I'd gladly donate them to anyone who would be interested in sharing the joy!

**Mayhap the game group notion could be back on track thanks to an unforeseen e-mail.

**As a general rule, one's dinner should not consist entirely of Triscuits.

**The past few days have been rife with hinkiness. Practically loaded with hinkosity. And, if it weren't for Dimples, I would think something was quite hinky with my blog comments.

**As nice as Bailey seems to be thus far, I am still not that much of a cat person.

**Spam Spam Spam Spam
Spam Spam Spam Spam
Lovely Spam!
Wonderful Spam!

** Back to work in about 18 hours. Has five days really gone by already? And will that five days have made any perceptible difference in the overall situation?

**Soldering while wearing sandals: NOT recommended.

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