William Gibson is a writer of Science Fiction. He is cited as the person who coined the term "cyberspace" and often writes in what is consider the "cyberpunk" genre. His writing is very detailed but the magic of it is that his highly detailed writing is often prophetic. By that I mean he takes concepts and ideas and puts them down on paper as what they could be. The easiest example I can use is Gibson's use of technology in his writing. When the internet was just being born, Gibson was writing about it as if it had been in society for decades. It's as if the Ford Model T just came out and Gibson is already talking about Ferrari's, and describing them in great detail. One of the greatest aspects of his writing is that it is believable. The things he writes about with respect to technology are crafted with such a realism that they are not only believable but conceivable in the near future.
But the reason why I love William Gibson, is that everytime I read one of his books or his stories or even his blog, I consistently learn something new. His last book, Pattern Recognition, required me to have access to the web so that I could look up and understand some of the things he mentions as well as major plot points. I think that is the mark of a good writer. The ability to not only engage me with a story but to also make me learn something new and to have me do it willingly is really a special quality. I encourage anyone to pick up some of his books, especially Neuromancer.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
42
I learned last night that 42 is the answer to everything. However, I am pretty sure that 42 has no chance of explaining how it is in a 48 hour period I seemed to contract tonsilitis. I woke up, actually that is wrong because I never fell asleep, with a 102 fever. A sore throat that could only be compared to swallowing razor blades and post-nasal drip that flows like Niagra Falls. Well, I don't know why but when I get sick I become the biggest wimp on the planet. Basically I just want to curl up and have someone wait on me. However, the realization is that I am 26 years old and the days of my mother taking care of me are long over. So what's a guy to do? Well as luck would have it my doctor was able to fit me in. I got some great drugs and just already notice a difference in my condition. I wonder though if I have to get my tonsils out in the future. I am glad though that I will be able to partake in Christmas festivities. If this clears up fast I will be pretty lucky because I have to drive down to Georgia in the next couple of days. Which I am not looking forward to at all.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Inker wannabe (cont..)
Here is the end result. The scan wasn't that good so there are some things that just don't show up. I can't figure out why the speach bubble in panel 5 got scanned. It was done in blue pencil! Anyway, I am fairly satisfied with the way it came out. Definitly a learning experience. Real inkers are lucky they get to work on the actual drawing, which means it is bigger and on bristol board which soaks up ink nicely. This was 8.5 x 11 and on lazer paper, which is slighly glossy. I got lucky the ink soaked up well but the tiny details were a real bitch to do.I think my favorite part was doing Batman in panel 3 (the big panel). I love the Dark Knight and it was really cool to work on Jim Lee's version. The only thing that was a realy bitch about it was his utility belt. It was so small on 8.5 x 11 that my nose was practically on the page so that I could mind the detail!
Overall this was a fun experience and it gave me all new respect for inkers, especially the great ones like Scott Williams. This is not an easy job to have...
Overall this was a fun experience and it gave me all new respect for inkers, especially the great ones like Scott Williams. This is not an easy job to have...
Inker Wannabe
Sorry it has been so long since I have written but with the holidays rapidly approaching, my moving to Georgia, trying to fit everyone into my life and work I have been a bit busy. There is much to talk about since the last time I wrote but I wanted to talk about this picture first.
The picture I have posted is a scan of some orginal pencils done by Jim Lee. They appeared not too long ago in Superman #208. On his blog, Jim posted the original pencils and gave a link to a high res file that you can download and try your hand at inking his work. Up until now, those chores are usually left to the very talented inker-maestro, Scott Williams. So I said what the hell, let's see if I can do it and get some feedback from Jim and the rest of the DC/Wildstorm bunch. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
For you art people, I downloaded the file that was in grayscale and in photoshop turned the linework blue. For those of you who don't know, blue pencil does not photocopy. So rather than inking Jim's grayscale which would end up being a total mess when I scanned it, I inked the blue line work so that only my inks would show up. It wasn't hard to do this, especially because Jim gave directions on how to do it in photoshop. The hard part was when I went to Kinkos to print the bastard out. They were backed up with holiday printing so I was only able to use a lazer printer and print on lazer paper to 8.5 x 11. The actually drawing is 11 x 17. So when the picture gets shrunk down, the line work gets tighter and unless you have the muscle control of a Sloth, it is going to make it a very difficult task. Especially when you have as much detail and fine line work as you do in a Jim Lee drawing. Anyway it took me about three days to do. I work for maybe 2 hours a day on it. Not too bad for my first inking foray. However if I were to do it again, I would definilty work off a bigger piece of paper!
The picture I have posted is a scan of some orginal pencils done by Jim Lee. They appeared not too long ago in Superman #208. On his blog, Jim posted the original pencils and gave a link to a high res file that you can download and try your hand at inking his work. Up until now, those chores are usually left to the very talented inker-maestro, Scott Williams. So I said what the hell, let's see if I can do it and get some feedback from Jim and the rest of the DC/Wildstorm bunch. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
For you art people, I downloaded the file that was in grayscale and in photoshop turned the linework blue. For those of you who don't know, blue pencil does not photocopy. So rather than inking Jim's grayscale which would end up being a total mess when I scanned it, I inked the blue line work so that only my inks would show up. It wasn't hard to do this, especially because Jim gave directions on how to do it in photoshop. The hard part was when I went to Kinkos to print the bastard out. They were backed up with holiday printing so I was only able to use a lazer printer and print on lazer paper to 8.5 x 11. The actually drawing is 11 x 17. So when the picture gets shrunk down, the line work gets tighter and unless you have the muscle control of a Sloth, it is going to make it a very difficult task. Especially when you have as much detail and fine line work as you do in a Jim Lee drawing. Anyway it took me about three days to do. I work for maybe 2 hours a day on it. Not too bad for my first inking foray. However if I were to do it again, I would definilty work off a bigger piece of paper!
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Monday, December 13, 2004
Good weekend, Bad movies
A strange weekend. A good one yet filled with terrible film. Perhaps it was just my mood but man I think I saw four movies this weekend, and none of them I could get into. However, Catherine Zeta Jones was in two of them and I can always get into her...
Right so last week I got a call from work. They are swamped and needed to call in reinforcements. Of course I said yes because my ass is broke! Well on top of working in the day I have been working in the night. These damn customers keep calling me at the worst possible times and I have to really control myself to keep from telling them to "Fuck off!"
Anyway, Friday after work I went home and crashed for a few hours. I called up Kev and my buddy Steve. Steve is always up for a movie of senseless violence and special effects. So we went to see Blade Trinity. It is really saying something when the best movie you saw over the weekend was a movie about blowing up vampires. Obviously it wasn't as good as the first two Blades but it was still nice to see Jessica Biel kick ass and Ryan Renolds as "Hannibal King" was freaking hysterical. So of course leaving the movie, Kev and I arrive at my house and we start watching Terminator 3. It is so tongue in cheek that the two of us were laughing our asses off. Kev does a great impression of the Terminator.
Saturday I tried to finish my wrapping but my parents for whatever reason decided they were going to invade my room. It ended up being a several hour foray into how to print labels on the computer. Both of my parents antagonizing each other and barking at me to fix the computer. I was so annoyed that after a while I had to go sit in another room. In the long run I suppose that is better than flipping out at the two of them and then having them gang up on me. When you are an only child, parents always win if you lose your cool. So whatever, eventually I pass out and then wake up. I was supposed to hang out with Emily and so I gave her a ring. She nannies for this family up on the East Side of Providence. She was watching the kid Saturday, so we rented movies and ate pizza. Good times all around and it was better than going out and getting trashed. However, I picked two really bad movies. First off was the Cooler with Willaim H Macy and Alec Baldwin. I could have sworn I saw the previews for this film and they were funny. THIS MOVIE NOT FUNNY! It is really a dark, violent, yet slightly uplifting film. Emily doesn't like violent movies...which means this one really shit the bed. After taking a break to order pizza and play with Nathan (the baby), we popped in Terminal with Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta Jones. This movie was a much happier affair. However, after the novelty of watching how a man lives in an airport terminal for nine months wears off, this movie loses a lot of its fun. The best part of the movie is Gupta. That is all I can say.
On a more positive note, even though the movies were shit, Nathan is possibly one of the cutest babies I have ever seen. Not sure how old he is, but he is a smiley happy baby. He is really easy to take care of too. He didn't cry once, just smiled and drooled. He does make funny noises which crack me up. He really is just a cute little meatball. However he only falls asleep if you hold him. Emily had to hold him for hours.
On Sunday after waking up way too early, I went to breakfat with Paul and Brianne. Brianne is a few months pregnant, although she isn't showing too badly. It was good to see them both, and eat. Paul is a human garbage disposal. He had to eat 15 pounds of food. It is really amazing. Of course the stress of his job probably makes him hungry. Poor guy is at a top rated law firm, which will go nameless, and they treat him like shit. He works 14 hour days of getting bitched at by senior partners. I don't envy him even though he is making serious cash. However, I am sure in the long run he will be better off. If he can handle this place then he can work anywhere. Plus the experience he is getting will benefit him when he decides to move onto a firm that isn't so cutthroat. I really do wish him all the best. Brianne too! This is one of the few chances I get to be an uncle...
Sunday night I woke Kevin up at around 5 pm. He didn't get home till 6 am from a party he was working at. So we got dinner and then went to the movies to see Ocean's Twelve. Again, this was a disappointment. Not as good as the first movie, although it was still entertaining. I remember laughing out loud at the first one, not so much this one. Regardless it had Catherine Zeta Jones in it , who was quite good as an Interpol agent. She is so freaking hot it hurts. Anyway, the best part of this movie was the previews. There was a preview for Batman Begins which is coming out in the summer. I haven't been this excited for a movie since Episode I. However, I think this will at least be good. It has a great cast and director and just looks so badass. It really goes back to the dark version of Batman. It goes back to the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton days when the Bat franchise was still respectible. God damn Joel Schummacher!
But that is about it...I got a couple of new albums that I am giving a whirl to. I will write more about those later but for now I am tired and going to bed. Good night
E
Right so last week I got a call from work. They are swamped and needed to call in reinforcements. Of course I said yes because my ass is broke! Well on top of working in the day I have been working in the night. These damn customers keep calling me at the worst possible times and I have to really control myself to keep from telling them to "Fuck off!"
Anyway, Friday after work I went home and crashed for a few hours. I called up Kev and my buddy Steve. Steve is always up for a movie of senseless violence and special effects. So we went to see Blade Trinity. It is really saying something when the best movie you saw over the weekend was a movie about blowing up vampires. Obviously it wasn't as good as the first two Blades but it was still nice to see Jessica Biel kick ass and Ryan Renolds as "Hannibal King" was freaking hysterical. So of course leaving the movie, Kev and I arrive at my house and we start watching Terminator 3. It is so tongue in cheek that the two of us were laughing our asses off. Kev does a great impression of the Terminator.
Saturday I tried to finish my wrapping but my parents for whatever reason decided they were going to invade my room. It ended up being a several hour foray into how to print labels on the computer. Both of my parents antagonizing each other and barking at me to fix the computer. I was so annoyed that after a while I had to go sit in another room. In the long run I suppose that is better than flipping out at the two of them and then having them gang up on me. When you are an only child, parents always win if you lose your cool. So whatever, eventually I pass out and then wake up. I was supposed to hang out with Emily and so I gave her a ring. She nannies for this family up on the East Side of Providence. She was watching the kid Saturday, so we rented movies and ate pizza. Good times all around and it was better than going out and getting trashed. However, I picked two really bad movies. First off was the Cooler with Willaim H Macy and Alec Baldwin. I could have sworn I saw the previews for this film and they were funny. THIS MOVIE NOT FUNNY! It is really a dark, violent, yet slightly uplifting film. Emily doesn't like violent movies...which means this one really shit the bed. After taking a break to order pizza and play with Nathan (the baby), we popped in Terminal with Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta Jones. This movie was a much happier affair. However, after the novelty of watching how a man lives in an airport terminal for nine months wears off, this movie loses a lot of its fun. The best part of the movie is Gupta. That is all I can say.
On a more positive note, even though the movies were shit, Nathan is possibly one of the cutest babies I have ever seen. Not sure how old he is, but he is a smiley happy baby. He is really easy to take care of too. He didn't cry once, just smiled and drooled. He does make funny noises which crack me up. He really is just a cute little meatball. However he only falls asleep if you hold him. Emily had to hold him for hours.
On Sunday after waking up way too early, I went to breakfat with Paul and Brianne. Brianne is a few months pregnant, although she isn't showing too badly. It was good to see them both, and eat. Paul is a human garbage disposal. He had to eat 15 pounds of food. It is really amazing. Of course the stress of his job probably makes him hungry. Poor guy is at a top rated law firm, which will go nameless, and they treat him like shit. He works 14 hour days of getting bitched at by senior partners. I don't envy him even though he is making serious cash. However, I am sure in the long run he will be better off. If he can handle this place then he can work anywhere. Plus the experience he is getting will benefit him when he decides to move onto a firm that isn't so cutthroat. I really do wish him all the best. Brianne too! This is one of the few chances I get to be an uncle...
Sunday night I woke Kevin up at around 5 pm. He didn't get home till 6 am from a party he was working at. So we got dinner and then went to the movies to see Ocean's Twelve. Again, this was a disappointment. Not as good as the first movie, although it was still entertaining. I remember laughing out loud at the first one, not so much this one. Regardless it had Catherine Zeta Jones in it , who was quite good as an Interpol agent. She is so freaking hot it hurts. Anyway, the best part of this movie was the previews. There was a preview for Batman Begins which is coming out in the summer. I haven't been this excited for a movie since Episode I. However, I think this will at least be good. It has a great cast and director and just looks so badass. It really goes back to the dark version of Batman. It goes back to the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton days when the Bat franchise was still respectible. God damn Joel Schummacher!
But that is about it...I got a couple of new albums that I am giving a whirl to. I will write more about those later but for now I am tired and going to bed. Good night
E
Thursday, December 09, 2004
PC vs URI cont...
This final picture is of my father and Kenny. My Dad is the guy in the back with no neck. He looks like kinda like a bulldog but he is really a nice guy. The guy in the foreground is Kenny. He is my father's right hand man at work and his golfing buddy. Kenny is a really good golfer but his technique is bizzarre. If you watch Tiger Woods you will notice he has a lot of hip motion. Kenny doesn't move from the waste down when he hits the ball...it is really bizzarre.
If you hadn't noticed I surprised them with the picture.
If you hadn't noticed I surprised them with the picture.
PC vs URI
This was another picture I took at the game. It is a shitty picture because I took with a PDA that work gave me. If you can see on the far side of the court the blue banners, those are ads for my father's company. On the rare occassion that a Rhode Island sporting event makes it to TV, the banners get on and then his home office in Iowa gets really excited. It is pretty funny.
Anyway, the game takes place every year at the Providence Civic Center recently renamed the Dunkin Donuts Center, or as we say "The Dunk". Rhode Island literally has a Dunkin Donuts on every street corner. You will notice the size of the crowd. That is about as big a crowd as you will ever see in that stadium. The biggest crowd on recorod at the Dunk was for WWF Wrestling... GOD I love home!
Anyway, the game takes place every year at the Providence Civic Center recently renamed the Dunkin Donuts Center, or as we say "The Dunk". Rhode Island literally has a Dunkin Donuts on every street corner. You will notice the size of the crowd. That is about as big a crowd as you will ever see in that stadium. The biggest crowd on recorod at the Dunk was for WWF Wrestling... GOD I love home!
Kevoatgame
As promised here is a picture of my hetero-lifemate Kevin. This was taken at the PC vs. URI game this year. Kev wasn't being shy. He was protecting his identity. He has a lot of mob connections and so he tries to keep a low profile so that he can work behind the scenes. His own mother doesn't even have pictures of him. He is a man without a face!
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
The Death of Alcohol
I am giving up alcohol. My love affair with the fermented ambrosia was short-lived, but gave many a moments to remember. It all started on a St. Patrick Day in March 2002 at the Four P's on Connecticut Ave in the Van Ness area of Washington, DC. To this day it remains my favorite pub but when next we meet I will be dry. It was a chilly overcast day in DC as my roommates and I trudged from our new home in Rockville, MD back to the old college stomping grounds. The pub was different on this most holy of Irish-American days, no furniture and several make-shift stations of different beers. Arriving early at 10 am, our festivities began and I decided that I was going to get drunk for the first time. Huzzah Jay! Huzzah Nick! Huzzah Caz! Those three devils in humans clothing, encouraging my debauchery. So the Edge was born although not yet named and all these years and bottles later I have decided once again to go dry.
Why do you ask? Well there are many reasons, the superficial ones would include the price, the taste, etc etc. But to be perfectly honest I feel like shit the day after. I used to be able to drink and have no problems the next day. Even if I was drinking heavily. Now even if I have just a little bit, I feel all messed up the day after. I think it may have something to do with all the training I do. The booze goes through my system fast than it used to or something along those lines, but who the hell knows?! Plus if one is trying to lose weight (ie ME) then drinking really fucks your metabolism and brings it to a comatose standstill. One of my biggest pet peeves is the dehydration. I can't stand being dehydrated, and nothing will destroy moisture like alcohol.
Now I probably won't swear it off permanently. I am sure there will be the occasional party or wedding when I decide to share in the spirits of the moment. But on the whole I think I will swear it off. So it is then, that I lay to rest the bottle. I wish it a happy and peaceful slumber. No longer will I feel obligated to drink while at a bar, no longer will I futilely limit myself to "just one", no more will I wake up the next day feeling like a shriveled prune in the middle of a desert. Farewell to thee, my dear companion. Oh you go by so many names...Jack Daniels, John Jameson, Johnny Walker! You Wild Turkey! You old Granddad! You will truly be put on ice. My seven and seven will now be just a seven. How I mourn for the empty sifter, the highball glass, the rocks that will never fall. Cry not the popping cork, the grinding cry of the untwisting cap, your pleas fall on deaf ears and dry tongue. Though your barrels will continue to age and roll, your amber huge still shine, let not my fast break for you. I will miss your fiery kiss, your rumbling rage down my gullet. The tingling orgasms up my spine, that makes me shake and close my eyes. Good night to you, dear friend Al! Let your intoxicating tastes and aromas find you a new companion. For on this day our relationship has ended, our love has broke, you shall no longer taste my tongue!
Why do you ask? Well there are many reasons, the superficial ones would include the price, the taste, etc etc. But to be perfectly honest I feel like shit the day after. I used to be able to drink and have no problems the next day. Even if I was drinking heavily. Now even if I have just a little bit, I feel all messed up the day after. I think it may have something to do with all the training I do. The booze goes through my system fast than it used to or something along those lines, but who the hell knows?! Plus if one is trying to lose weight (ie ME) then drinking really fucks your metabolism and brings it to a comatose standstill. One of my biggest pet peeves is the dehydration. I can't stand being dehydrated, and nothing will destroy moisture like alcohol.
Now I probably won't swear it off permanently. I am sure there will be the occasional party or wedding when I decide to share in the spirits of the moment. But on the whole I think I will swear it off. So it is then, that I lay to rest the bottle. I wish it a happy and peaceful slumber. No longer will I feel obligated to drink while at a bar, no longer will I futilely limit myself to "just one", no more will I wake up the next day feeling like a shriveled prune in the middle of a desert. Farewell to thee, my dear companion. Oh you go by so many names...Jack Daniels, John Jameson, Johnny Walker! You Wild Turkey! You old Granddad! You will truly be put on ice. My seven and seven will now be just a seven. How I mourn for the empty sifter, the highball glass, the rocks that will never fall. Cry not the popping cork, the grinding cry of the untwisting cap, your pleas fall on deaf ears and dry tongue. Though your barrels will continue to age and roll, your amber huge still shine, let not my fast break for you. I will miss your fiery kiss, your rumbling rage down my gullet. The tingling orgasms up my spine, that makes me shake and close my eyes. Good night to you, dear friend Al! Let your intoxicating tastes and aromas find you a new companion. For on this day our relationship has ended, our love has broke, you shall no longer taste my tongue!
Monday, December 06, 2004
Spiderman
Man what a weekend! It all started on Thursday night with me and Kevo heading to the Wickedend Pub. This little hole in the wall gets really rowdy on Thursday and they have raffles with some pretty cool prizes. Best part is there is no cover. Make sure you meet Wendy!
Then Friday night, I went out with Emily. I had gone to middle school, with Emily and we recently just reconnected. Good times had by all! Even though it was freaking cold out and finding a decent bar was a bit of "hike".
Saturday rocked with the biggest sporting event in Rhode Island. The Providence College Friars vs. University of Rhode Island Rams basketball game. What a game! To be honest, URI played better overall but being a PC fan I still had to cheer for the boys in white. They started off really strong but got really sloppy towards the end. Luckily they tied it up and beat the Rams in overtime. Me, My Dad, Kenney (my dad's top dog at work) and Kevo had a blast. I have some pictures from the game that I took with my PDA, so as soon as I figure how to download them I will post them. Then Saturday night, Kev and I met Emily and company at The Shark Bar for surreal Cranston West High Reunion! Man am I glad I tranfered. It was a good time, although I don't recommend playing darts there. For some reason 3 out of the 5 darts I threw came flying back at me. I think the dartboard was possessed.
Overall great weekend, but man am I beat. I think I average 8 hours of sleep altogether this weekend and that with the alcohol has made me rather ill. It will be a while before I drink again...if ever!
Anyway for those of you who enjoy the artwork (although I have no idea why!?) here is a bone being thrown for you. This was another sketch I did, when I was still working. Based on a cover of Ultimate Spider-man by Brian Bendis and Mark Bagley. Check out Bagley's work if you can...his new stuff is drastically different from his old stuff...really impressive.
Edge
Then Friday night, I went out with Emily. I had gone to middle school, with Emily and we recently just reconnected. Good times had by all! Even though it was freaking cold out and finding a decent bar was a bit of "hike".
Saturday rocked with the biggest sporting event in Rhode Island. The Providence College Friars vs. University of Rhode Island Rams basketball game. What a game! To be honest, URI played better overall but being a PC fan I still had to cheer for the boys in white. They started off really strong but got really sloppy towards the end. Luckily they tied it up and beat the Rams in overtime. Me, My Dad, Kenney (my dad's top dog at work) and Kevo had a blast. I have some pictures from the game that I took with my PDA, so as soon as I figure how to download them I will post them. Then Saturday night, Kev and I met Emily and company at The Shark Bar for surreal Cranston West High Reunion! Man am I glad I tranfered. It was a good time, although I don't recommend playing darts there. For some reason 3 out of the 5 darts I threw came flying back at me. I think the dartboard was possessed.
Overall great weekend, but man am I beat. I think I average 8 hours of sleep altogether this weekend and that with the alcohol has made me rather ill. It will be a while before I drink again...if ever!
Anyway for those of you who enjoy the artwork (although I have no idea why!?) here is a bone being thrown for you. This was another sketch I did, when I was still working. Based on a cover of Ultimate Spider-man by Brian Bendis and Mark Bagley. Check out Bagley's work if you can...his new stuff is drastically different from his old stuff...really impressive.
Edge
Friday, December 03, 2004
absent minded unemployee
The other day I mention something to a friend about having to scan some pictures to put up on my blog. Well, as it turns out my sketchbook (one of them) is now packing in a trunk in the back of a truck on its way to Bluffton, South Carolina. Inside it are any and all "finished" pieces that I would have posted up here. This is a testament to just how absent-minded I am.
I have been really noticing lately that in the time it takes me to walk from my bedroom to my kitchen that I have forgotten a whole bunch of things. I can't really tell you what they are because, well I have forgotten them. I find this rather disturbing and God help my brain if my body is hungry because then it just gets worse. Not only do I get absent-minded but I begin to go deaf. Really, people can ask me things and I will completely ignore them in the quest to find food. It is a very strange thing. Usually in the morning after I get back from my run or whatever, I will shower up and get dressed. By this time my Mother has, without fail, asked me to do 10 different things before I make my way to the breakfast table. I will be lucky if I remember my shirt, nevermind all the requests she made. This results in a sort of post workout workout. Usually it involves me running up and down stairs to various different levels of the house, carrying semi-heavy objects to their next location. It is a wonder I have any bodyfat at all. Mind you, it isn't that I don't listen but it is quite possible for me to go into a room with the intention of doing something and get distracted by something else that will lead me on random thoughts and I will completely forget what I was meant to do in the first place. A perfect example is walking into a book store. Christmas shopping in Barnes and Noble or Borders or wherever is truly a battle for me, because by the time I actually remember what I came in for I have already gone through all the magazines, comic books, sports, military history, science fiction and literature sections before realizing that 20 minutes ago I came in there to buy a present. There is also something about books stores that make me have to go to the bathroom. I am not sure what it is, and mind you it isn't a quick pee either. Perhaps it is the smell of pages or the warmth of bookjackets that suddenly makes my bowel work! Who knows!?
That is really all I have to say today. Had a horrible run this morning. After drinking the night before what can I expect but 2.2 miles in 22 minutes is absolutely atrocious! Need to get my ass in gear!
I have been really noticing lately that in the time it takes me to walk from my bedroom to my kitchen that I have forgotten a whole bunch of things. I can't really tell you what they are because, well I have forgotten them. I find this rather disturbing and God help my brain if my body is hungry because then it just gets worse. Not only do I get absent-minded but I begin to go deaf. Really, people can ask me things and I will completely ignore them in the quest to find food. It is a very strange thing. Usually in the morning after I get back from my run or whatever, I will shower up and get dressed. By this time my Mother has, without fail, asked me to do 10 different things before I make my way to the breakfast table. I will be lucky if I remember my shirt, nevermind all the requests she made. This results in a sort of post workout workout. Usually it involves me running up and down stairs to various different levels of the house, carrying semi-heavy objects to their next location. It is a wonder I have any bodyfat at all. Mind you, it isn't that I don't listen but it is quite possible for me to go into a room with the intention of doing something and get distracted by something else that will lead me on random thoughts and I will completely forget what I was meant to do in the first place. A perfect example is walking into a book store. Christmas shopping in Barnes and Noble or Borders or wherever is truly a battle for me, because by the time I actually remember what I came in for I have already gone through all the magazines, comic books, sports, military history, science fiction and literature sections before realizing that 20 minutes ago I came in there to buy a present. There is also something about books stores that make me have to go to the bathroom. I am not sure what it is, and mind you it isn't a quick pee either. Perhaps it is the smell of pages or the warmth of bookjackets that suddenly makes my bowel work! Who knows!?
That is really all I have to say today. Had a horrible run this morning. After drinking the night before what can I expect but 2.2 miles in 22 minutes is absolutely atrocious! Need to get my ass in gear!
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Tuesday
I meant to write yesterday but when I got online I started to talk with too many people and I just wasn't able to post. I think from now I won't sign onto IM until after I have done my posts! Anyway, it seems people have been enjoying the sketches so maybe I will put a few more up. It is funny how the more I look at them, the more I start to pick at them. This line should be tighter, this is out of proportion, etc etc. Ah well, I am never satisfied!
I went to the gym this morning as is my usual ritual. Today was abs/cardio. For those of you who don't know I am an aspiring triathlete and I am using the winter months to build a good base and slim down. I usually lift Monday, Wednesday, Friday and I run on those mornings. Then on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I bike. I only just recently changed my schedule a bit to include an abs workout on bike days instead of on lift days. This was done in an attempt to save myself some time! Well today I did an ab workout, that was kind of random, although it was still challenging. My lower abs and obliques are my biggest "problem areas". I pretty much hold all my weight there. So after finishing my abs I jumped on the bike to do my hill routine. I ride for about 35 minutes with varying degrees on intensity depending on the climb that I am doing. However, today I was only on the bike for 12 minutes before I said the hell with it. I don't know why but lately I have been really tired. I haven't been sleeping well and as a result I am getting up later and it is throwing off my whole schedule! So I am hoping this is the only day this week that will be the case. Basically, no more excuses! Alexis called me fat the other day so now I have a firecracker up my ass to lose my last 15 pounds! What I have been meaning to do though is take an "after" picture of me. I took a picture when I first moved home, when I had gained a shitload of weight. Now it has been a year and I would like to see the difference. Maybe I will even post them...
On a more positive note, I love itunes. Now I don't have a Mac (yet!) but I downloaded it for windows. Besides it being a really easy program to manage your music files, as well as a great player and all of that, the radio stations are great. I have been listening non-stop to Beatlesarama and all Beatles radio station listed under the classic rock heading. They play all sorts of music related to the Beatles. Unheard recordings, the usual hits, even modern music that has a certain Beatles feel. It is really quite sharp! I high recommend it.
FINDING NEVERLAND ****
Also, this past Sunday I saw the movie Finding Neverland with Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. I am a bit of a movie person but I because the theaters are so expensive I am really choosey in what I see. I normally would have waited for this on DVD or something. I am glad I didn't! It was great. For those of you who don't know it is the story of James Michael Barry, the playwright who created Peter Pan. Now I am not sure how historically accurate the picture is but it was just awesome. Johnny Depp is really an amazing actor. His scotch accent was so effortless and believable. The movie was very funny at points but one of the great parts of it were the imagination sequences. Very surreal and very magical. I highly recommend going to see this, it was just a great film. It also reminds us of the importance of imagination and fantasy in life, something I often think the modern world forgets.
I went to the gym this morning as is my usual ritual. Today was abs/cardio. For those of you who don't know I am an aspiring triathlete and I am using the winter months to build a good base and slim down. I usually lift Monday, Wednesday, Friday and I run on those mornings. Then on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I bike. I only just recently changed my schedule a bit to include an abs workout on bike days instead of on lift days. This was done in an attempt to save myself some time! Well today I did an ab workout, that was kind of random, although it was still challenging. My lower abs and obliques are my biggest "problem areas". I pretty much hold all my weight there. So after finishing my abs I jumped on the bike to do my hill routine. I ride for about 35 minutes with varying degrees on intensity depending on the climb that I am doing. However, today I was only on the bike for 12 minutes before I said the hell with it. I don't know why but lately I have been really tired. I haven't been sleeping well and as a result I am getting up later and it is throwing off my whole schedule! So I am hoping this is the only day this week that will be the case. Basically, no more excuses! Alexis called me fat the other day so now I have a firecracker up my ass to lose my last 15 pounds! What I have been meaning to do though is take an "after" picture of me. I took a picture when I first moved home, when I had gained a shitload of weight. Now it has been a year and I would like to see the difference. Maybe I will even post them...
On a more positive note, I love itunes. Now I don't have a Mac (yet!) but I downloaded it for windows. Besides it being a really easy program to manage your music files, as well as a great player and all of that, the radio stations are great. I have been listening non-stop to Beatlesarama and all Beatles radio station listed under the classic rock heading. They play all sorts of music related to the Beatles. Unheard recordings, the usual hits, even modern music that has a certain Beatles feel. It is really quite sharp! I high recommend it.
FINDING NEVERLAND ****
Also, this past Sunday I saw the movie Finding Neverland with Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. I am a bit of a movie person but I because the theaters are so expensive I am really choosey in what I see. I normally would have waited for this on DVD or something. I am glad I didn't! It was great. For those of you who don't know it is the story of James Michael Barry, the playwright who created Peter Pan. Now I am not sure how historically accurate the picture is but it was just awesome. Johnny Depp is really an amazing actor. His scotch accent was so effortless and believable. The movie was very funny at points but one of the great parts of it were the imagination sequences. Very surreal and very magical. I highly recommend going to see this, it was just a great film. It also reminds us of the importance of imagination and fantasy in life, something I often think the modern world forgets.
Saturday, November 27, 2004
That's why they call him...
The Edge! Ok so I had written a long entry on why my nickname is the Edge. I figured I better do it before I get sued by any rockstars for impersonation. However, in the world of the web nothing is truly permanent even if you hit save and alas I lost the whole damn thing. So I guess I will have to make it short.
I am called the Edge because I tend to have a sharp tongue that gets sharper the more whiskey I drink. I was given the name by a group of my friends that I met through Kevin, my hetero-lifemate. At first it was all about me getting edgey the more I drank, then they just started calling me the Edge. Now it is catching on in popularity and even my parents are starting to call me Edge. The whole reason for this re-entry of my lost entry was because a posted something on Jim Lee's blog. While I do not think for a second anyone on there thinks I am the Edge from U2, I am just doing this to cover my ass. Now, if you want to check out the message that Jim replied in response and jokingly implied that I was the Edge of U2 fan, go here.
It is a real pisser when you wrote something of greater length and in a flash it is "kaput!" well, onto something new...
I am called the Edge because I tend to have a sharp tongue that gets sharper the more whiskey I drink. I was given the name by a group of my friends that I met through Kevin, my hetero-lifemate. At first it was all about me getting edgey the more I drank, then they just started calling me the Edge. Now it is catching on in popularity and even my parents are starting to call me Edge. The whole reason for this re-entry of my lost entry was because a posted something on Jim Lee's blog. While I do not think for a second anyone on there thinks I am the Edge from U2, I am just doing this to cover my ass. Now, if you want to check out the message that Jim replied in response and jokingly implied that I was the Edge of U2 fan, go here.
It is a real pisser when you wrote something of greater length and in a flash it is "kaput!" well, onto something new...
Flash
A friend of mine from Xbox Live asked when I was going to post more of my artwork. The true be told I don't have a lot to show. However, this is one of many sketches I did when I was still working. It is based on sketch Michael Turner did of the Flash. If you haven't checked out any of Turner's work you are really missing out! His company, Aspen Studios, has started putting out their own line of comics, definitly take a look!
I know I also mentioned that I would review various things, well I have got two rocking Xbox games that I think I should plug.
HALO 2 *****
The long awaited sequel to one of the greatest games ever has finally been released. It has been about almost a month and Bungie really did a great job on it. The graphics are amazing the story line is much more involved and lends insight into why the Covenant attacked. The game play is still very smooth and easy to learn, throwing you into the action really fast. There are a few things I would have liked changed but they in no way effect the game. I think it would be cool if the Master Chief could carry more than two weapons. There are often times in the game when you have to choose between two items when it would be better if you could carry them both. The dual-wielding weapons are a great new feature and when you get into LIVE play you will soon realize carrying one weapon is not going to cut it. Halo 2 really takes advantage of life capabilities. Just looking at all the different game options you can do will insure maximum playability. I haven't beaten the game yet, but I know when I do I will start right back at the beginning and have a go at one of the harder settings.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 *****
If you are like me and like the tactical shooters you are going to love this new release from Ubisoft/Redstorm. The Ghost are back, except it is a new team in a new war zone. North Korea to be exact. It is very eerie how the game's plot could easily come out of todays headlines! Many new improvements have been made since Island Thunder. The most noticable is the over the shoulder third person view. I gotta be honest I love this view way more than first person. It allows you to see how well you are covered by objects and really gives you a better overall view of the action. Another great new feature is the ability to carry more gear. Rather than just a primary and secondary weapon the Ghosts are able to carry much more. That being said one of my biggest complaints is that I wish their was a higher degree of weapon customization. We are talking about an elite special forces group, I think it would be fitting for the game to allow you not only to big a weapon, but also the type of sight you want, silenced/unsilenced..etc etc. Perhaps even carry a sniper rifle as well as an assault rifle. But these are tiny issues that can be fought over when they put out a sequel in the coming months. Take note though, after playing Halo 2 and jumping into GR2 it really messes with your play tempo. GR2 is not a game you can just blow through. It is damn hard and takes as much brainpower as firepower.
Overall two great sequels out for the Holiday season. I highly suggest both although, GR2 is not really for kids. Either way, give them a try and if you have a minute, tell me what you think!
See you on live!
The Edge
I know I also mentioned that I would review various things, well I have got two rocking Xbox games that I think I should plug.
HALO 2 *****
The long awaited sequel to one of the greatest games ever has finally been released. It has been about almost a month and Bungie really did a great job on it. The graphics are amazing the story line is much more involved and lends insight into why the Covenant attacked. The game play is still very smooth and easy to learn, throwing you into the action really fast. There are a few things I would have liked changed but they in no way effect the game. I think it would be cool if the Master Chief could carry more than two weapons. There are often times in the game when you have to choose between two items when it would be better if you could carry them both. The dual-wielding weapons are a great new feature and when you get into LIVE play you will soon realize carrying one weapon is not going to cut it. Halo 2 really takes advantage of life capabilities. Just looking at all the different game options you can do will insure maximum playability. I haven't beaten the game yet, but I know when I do I will start right back at the beginning and have a go at one of the harder settings.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 *****
If you are like me and like the tactical shooters you are going to love this new release from Ubisoft/Redstorm. The Ghost are back, except it is a new team in a new war zone. North Korea to be exact. It is very eerie how the game's plot could easily come out of todays headlines! Many new improvements have been made since Island Thunder. The most noticable is the over the shoulder third person view. I gotta be honest I love this view way more than first person. It allows you to see how well you are covered by objects and really gives you a better overall view of the action. Another great new feature is the ability to carry more gear. Rather than just a primary and secondary weapon the Ghosts are able to carry much more. That being said one of my biggest complaints is that I wish their was a higher degree of weapon customization. We are talking about an elite special forces group, I think it would be fitting for the game to allow you not only to big a weapon, but also the type of sight you want, silenced/unsilenced..etc etc. Perhaps even carry a sniper rifle as well as an assault rifle. But these are tiny issues that can be fought over when they put out a sequel in the coming months. Take note though, after playing Halo 2 and jumping into GR2 it really messes with your play tempo. GR2 is not a game you can just blow through. It is damn hard and takes as much brainpower as firepower.
Overall two great sequels out for the Holiday season. I highly suggest both although, GR2 is not really for kids. Either way, give them a try and if you have a minute, tell me what you think!
See you on live!
The Edge
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Not to piss on a holiday or anything but I notice that everything Thanksgiving seems to be the same for me or at least follows the same schedule. This year was a little different because my uncle (Dad's brother) and his daughters were not here. My family has gone through quite a reorganization the last few years that has left certain holidays with a smaller turnout. Not that I had a big family to begin with but we are definitly atom-sized compared to the "nuclear family".
Anyway it always goes down like this: around 1-2 pm everyone who is coming shows up. The empty hugs and kisses abound and the starting drinks get poured. Everyone files into the family room and bullshits. The bullshitting has in years past been more like cold war verbal sparing. A lot of posturing and very subtle attacks on members of the family. I usually try to avoid talking to anyone and just sit there with a stupid smile on my face. It is easier to get through this subterfuge of family life if you act like Rain Man and then slip away when no one is looking. Oh, did I mention Thanksgiving is always at my house! Which means, my escape is limited to literally hiding in the house. Back to the schedule.
After the opening bullshitting, at some point usual 2-3pm the food is ready and it seems like it takes and eternity to actually get it on the table. In years past we have had to have two tables, not because we are large numbers, but rather because we are large people in small rooms. If the meal is in one room, we say "Grace" which is fine until it keeps going and going. "let us not forget our dearly departed great great aunt edna on the O'Neill side of the family who used to collect stuffed squirrels and had a heavy hand with the bourbon..." You get my point. Then it is time to get food. Now if the entire family is there, meaning my uncle's family (Dad's side) and my aunt and uncle (Mom's sister) then it means the cold war goes hot and you have to fight for food. There is no order of passing things around the table, it is a very unorganized guerilla attack on the various dishes (which never change from year to year). Now I was brought up with table manners. Generally I don't use them unless circumstances insist it. You know, family dinners, out with girls, etc etc. Why I am possessed to use my manners at Thanksgiving is a mental handicap I do not understand, because what ends up happing is while two people are attacking the stuffing and three are hitting the turkey, I sit there and in a rather mousey voice ask "Can you please pass the peas?" To which my requests go unanswered until I finally get so frustrated I start barking at people and then everyone looks at me like I am the one with the problem.
Next on the itinerary comes the post dinner gossiping and debating on how our various lives could be better. What we all fail to realize is that they would be better if you just shut the hell up and actually do what you say. Eventually dessert and coffee make its way around and we get the usual I can't eat that it will make me fat or I am too full for that. BULLSHIT! You aren't gonna tell me that inside the stomach you can't make room! I saw how much food you put away to being with! If you were really concerned about your weight you would sit there and eat cellery. So instead of trying to make yourself not feel guilty about what a gluttonous fuck you are, shut up and eat the cheesecake!
After all is said and done, we have two groups of people. Those that seem to wonder off and pass out somewhere only to drool on themselves and those that keep drinking and fight over which football game to watch. Me, I generally disappear and go play xbox or whatever video game system I have at the time and do my best to blow everything up on screen.
Eventually people realize that there is no more food and no more beer and then run outta here like the place is on fire. "It's been fun but I gotta go..." Fill in the blank with excuse.
Once everyone leaves the house becomes so quiet. It is really amazing just how silent it is on Thanksgiving night. I don't think it is just my house that is like that either but it is truly surreal.
That is the yearly Thanksgiving schedule and you would think someone would have gotten sick of these yearly rituals. Come on! Let's change the beat! But no it is always the same anticlimatic mundane day that is has been since I was 5.
It it isn't abundantly clear, I hate Thanksgiving. I have hated it for as long as I can remember. I don't know why, maybe it is because I have a sense of people invading my house without my OK. Don't really know why? I am sure if I got to the bottom of it, it would be really childish. On top of it all my grandfather has been dead now since 2001. I was really close with him and I don't think I have ever let him go. Towards the end it was hard to talk, just because I was a 20 something punk and he was 83 year old Chief Petty Officer. But I loved him a lot and he was one of those people that you could just watch and he would do something so slight and it would either amaze me or crack me up! Maybe we didn't need to talk as much the older we got, maybe we knew what the other was thinking. I hated seeing him in the nursing home, my grandfather was meant to be on a ship or in a car travelling, seeing the world, and sharing stories with people over a pint. I think the only trip I ever took with him was when I was 7 or 8 and the entire family went to Disney World. I remember going to this one location in the park, not really sure where, but you could rent these mini speed boats. Of course, I was too small to be allowed on one by myself (happened to me all the time!) so Grampa got on it with me and as we pulled away and got about 100 yards out, he let me drive. I think he lost whatever hair he had left but he pretty much let me run that thing into the ground. Everything we did together was a lesson and I am ashamed to say I usually forgot most of them. However, and I can't say this is true for sure, but I am willing to bet that day in the boat he was probably teaching me the difference between "port" and "starboard" and all sorts of other nautical terms. He was a good man, the best kind of man, and I miss him.
Funny how this holiday makes me bitch but in the end I remember that I have something to be thankful for. Regardless of how you feel about the holiday and your family and whatever traditions you may hold...it just wouldn't be the same I guess. I know I am thankful for having the best grandfather the world has ever seen. Not even sure why I started to write this entry, definitly didn't think it would go the way it did. Sometimes I guess even the most cynical of us can surprise ourselves every now and again. I don't really know what else to write, I kind of hit a quiet place...so I think I am gonna take the cue...
Good night
The Edge
Anyway it always goes down like this: around 1-2 pm everyone who is coming shows up. The empty hugs and kisses abound and the starting drinks get poured. Everyone files into the family room and bullshits. The bullshitting has in years past been more like cold war verbal sparing. A lot of posturing and very subtle attacks on members of the family. I usually try to avoid talking to anyone and just sit there with a stupid smile on my face. It is easier to get through this subterfuge of family life if you act like Rain Man and then slip away when no one is looking. Oh, did I mention Thanksgiving is always at my house! Which means, my escape is limited to literally hiding in the house. Back to the schedule.
After the opening bullshitting, at some point usual 2-3pm the food is ready and it seems like it takes and eternity to actually get it on the table. In years past we have had to have two tables, not because we are large numbers, but rather because we are large people in small rooms. If the meal is in one room, we say "Grace" which is fine until it keeps going and going. "let us not forget our dearly departed great great aunt edna on the O'Neill side of the family who used to collect stuffed squirrels and had a heavy hand with the bourbon..." You get my point. Then it is time to get food. Now if the entire family is there, meaning my uncle's family (Dad's side) and my aunt and uncle (Mom's sister) then it means the cold war goes hot and you have to fight for food. There is no order of passing things around the table, it is a very unorganized guerilla attack on the various dishes (which never change from year to year). Now I was brought up with table manners. Generally I don't use them unless circumstances insist it. You know, family dinners, out with girls, etc etc. Why I am possessed to use my manners at Thanksgiving is a mental handicap I do not understand, because what ends up happing is while two people are attacking the stuffing and three are hitting the turkey, I sit there and in a rather mousey voice ask "Can you please pass the peas?" To which my requests go unanswered until I finally get so frustrated I start barking at people and then everyone looks at me like I am the one with the problem.
Next on the itinerary comes the post dinner gossiping and debating on how our various lives could be better. What we all fail to realize is that they would be better if you just shut the hell up and actually do what you say. Eventually dessert and coffee make its way around and we get the usual I can't eat that it will make me fat or I am too full for that. BULLSHIT! You aren't gonna tell me that inside the stomach you can't make room! I saw how much food you put away to being with! If you were really concerned about your weight you would sit there and eat cellery. So instead of trying to make yourself not feel guilty about what a gluttonous fuck you are, shut up and eat the cheesecake!
After all is said and done, we have two groups of people. Those that seem to wonder off and pass out somewhere only to drool on themselves and those that keep drinking and fight over which football game to watch. Me, I generally disappear and go play xbox or whatever video game system I have at the time and do my best to blow everything up on screen.
Eventually people realize that there is no more food and no more beer and then run outta here like the place is on fire. "It's been fun but I gotta go..." Fill in the blank with excuse.
Once everyone leaves the house becomes so quiet. It is really amazing just how silent it is on Thanksgiving night. I don't think it is just my house that is like that either but it is truly surreal.
That is the yearly Thanksgiving schedule and you would think someone would have gotten sick of these yearly rituals. Come on! Let's change the beat! But no it is always the same anticlimatic mundane day that is has been since I was 5.
It it isn't abundantly clear, I hate Thanksgiving. I have hated it for as long as I can remember. I don't know why, maybe it is because I have a sense of people invading my house without my OK. Don't really know why? I am sure if I got to the bottom of it, it would be really childish. On top of it all my grandfather has been dead now since 2001. I was really close with him and I don't think I have ever let him go. Towards the end it was hard to talk, just because I was a 20 something punk and he was 83 year old Chief Petty Officer. But I loved him a lot and he was one of those people that you could just watch and he would do something so slight and it would either amaze me or crack me up! Maybe we didn't need to talk as much the older we got, maybe we knew what the other was thinking. I hated seeing him in the nursing home, my grandfather was meant to be on a ship or in a car travelling, seeing the world, and sharing stories with people over a pint. I think the only trip I ever took with him was when I was 7 or 8 and the entire family went to Disney World. I remember going to this one location in the park, not really sure where, but you could rent these mini speed boats. Of course, I was too small to be allowed on one by myself (happened to me all the time!) so Grampa got on it with me and as we pulled away and got about 100 yards out, he let me drive. I think he lost whatever hair he had left but he pretty much let me run that thing into the ground. Everything we did together was a lesson and I am ashamed to say I usually forgot most of them. However, and I can't say this is true for sure, but I am willing to bet that day in the boat he was probably teaching me the difference between "port" and "starboard" and all sorts of other nautical terms. He was a good man, the best kind of man, and I miss him.
Funny how this holiday makes me bitch but in the end I remember that I have something to be thankful for. Regardless of how you feel about the holiday and your family and whatever traditions you may hold...it just wouldn't be the same I guess. I know I am thankful for having the best grandfather the world has ever seen. Not even sure why I started to write this entry, definitly didn't think it would go the way it did. Sometimes I guess even the most cynical of us can surprise ourselves every now and again. I don't really know what else to write, I kind of hit a quiet place...so I think I am gonna take the cue...
Good night
The Edge
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Zealot
Well as I told you guys before I now have the ability to post pictures. Some of those visual will actually be some of my drawings. For those of you unaware I am a huge comic fan and have often aspired to get work in the business (IN ANY CAPACITY!).
This is actually a piece I did a long time ago. I don't think I was even in high school yet, if I was I was a freshman. This like all my work was based on a drawing by another artist. This is actually based off a splash page (I think) that was in Wild CATS #1 by Jim Lee. I can't remember the year it came out, I want to say 1991 but I think that is too early. Anyway, as I said before he is a big inspiration of mine and I love this character. I call this my "Mona Lisa" because a lot of hard work and devotion went into doing this (I was very young at the time) and it is the only color piece I have ever done. It is also unfinished. The boomerang thing in the back is supposed to be red! Anyway, I love this drawing and I thought I would share. I hope to someday top this...
The Edge
This is actually a piece I did a long time ago. I don't think I was even in high school yet, if I was I was a freshman. This like all my work was based on a drawing by another artist. This is actually based off a splash page (I think) that was in Wild CATS #1 by Jim Lee. I can't remember the year it came out, I want to say 1991 but I think that is too early. Anyway, as I said before he is a big inspiration of mine and I love this character. I call this my "Mona Lisa" because a lot of hard work and devotion went into doing this (I was very young at the time) and it is the only color piece I have ever done. It is also unfinished. The boomerang thing in the back is supposed to be red! Anyway, I love this drawing and I thought I would share. I hope to someday top this...
The Edge
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Coming together...Girls, Apples, pictures
I think I am getting better at the whole blog thing. I am at least now remembering that I have to write in it even though I don't necessarily get to!
So, my blog is coming along nicely. Taking a hint from Jim Lee's blog, I am now able to put up pictures on mine using Flickr.com. Be on the look out for all sorts of visual goodies! You never know what may pop up!
Moving on, let me go over the title. Girls, Apples, and pictures...well I think I covered the picture part, let's move onto girls.
I was chatting with a certain someone online last night and I realized that I had a great story to tell and for whatever reasons never put it down. This lovely young lady reminded me of this and so without further interuption, let me introduce my new friend Kim.
About two weeks ago I headed up to Massachusetts with Kevin (my hetero- lifemate) for a mutal friend's wedding. This was in a very rural area os Massachusetts that I sometimes forget exists. It often bothers me that when people think of the North East, everything is developed...well not this place. The wedding was in Hudson, MA. Way out in God's Country, but none the less a very cute New England town. Kevin actually worked up there during his highschool years. He performed community service, as many of us Catholics are forced to do, at a home for "pregnant crack-whores." Those are Kev's words not mine, but just so you don't think he is a total ass, Kevin is very active in his church and often volunteers his time. Whether it be teaching CCD or spending his time at hospitals working with severely retarded children. God help him, I sure as hell couldn't do it. Anyway, here we are driving around Hudson and Kevin says he wants to show me something. So we drive by the facility (which is really just an old house) for the pregnant crackwhores and he takes me to this petting zoo/general store. "Why the hell are you taking me here?" ask's I. "Because it is a cool store and your dear sweet mother would love it if you ever decided to take her here, you ungreatful bastard," say's Kevin.
So in I go and I have to admit that they had all sorts of great looking food and stuff. I am always down for homemade, all natural, don't give a shit as long as it tastes good food. However, attached is your typical New England nick knack shop, complete with little wooden houses, stuffed animals that you can pose, antique looking dolls, etc etc. A whole bunch of crafts that are really only good for kindling. So we walk around for a bit, then head back outside. Now I am in no way a sheltered child. I have travelled all across Europe, been to some of the shittiest ghettos in RI and DC, have been to every state on the Eastern Seaboard and I am pretty well educated. That being said I have never seen a live chicken.
Kev and I are walking around the "petting zoo" and we come to chicken coup #1. Now I have never seen a live chicken but I was pretty sure they weren't as big as these fowl dinosaurs. Freaking huge! Their legs weren't the skinny little twigs I had always pictured but were thick, muscular talon. I am standing there in awe of these beasts that I have so regularly dined on for many of my 26 years. As I am looking, I call to Kev, with blatant disregard for the children standing around me "Hey check out the size of these fucking chickens!" Kevin wobbles on over (he really has a very distinct walk!). He looks at the birds..."Dude, those are Roosters"
I can truly count on my hand how many times I have felt that stupid and embaressed in my life. So as I nonchalantly try to step away from the coup, I see Kevin wandering down some stairs to the horses. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have ridden a horse. I have only done it once and I will be in no good mood if I ever have to do it again. It is truly an epic story of my monumental bad luck. Regardless, with endless curiosity I decided to follow my good friend down the steps to a mother and her kids petty a young horse no more than two feet from a sign that clearly says "Please do not pet horses, they bite." Perhaps she thought she had more than one it was ok if one of her kids got maimed, I don't know. Kevin, on the other hand, I know can read and so I would not feel bad if the horse removed one of his digits. It would at least cause me to laugh hysterically as I try to bandage the stump. Well anyway, the horse was good and received the attention quite well, unlike the majority of actors in Hollywood.
I did noticed however that this horse was stranded on one side of its pen dud to a monstrous puddle, of unknown depth, that stretched widely across the yard. On the far side were what I can only assume to be the horse's relatives, all huddled in a corner. Apparently the horse was really a black sheep. Yes my humor is that dry.
We eventually leave the farm and head to the church. There is where things start to get interesting. Kevin and I arrive and seem to be the only ones there. We are pretty sure we have the right church and after about 20 minutes people start showing up. This will be the second non-Catholic wedding I have attended out of the 20 I have gone to in the last two years. I always get very excited to see how other religions do it. I hope to make it to a Jewish and a Muslim wedding someday. So we walk into this very nice Methodist Church, it was made in the "tudor" style of architecture of which I am a fan. So we sit down and wait for the show to begin. Mind you, Kev and I have not seen a soul we recognize and I am starting to think we may be at the wrong wedding except the program is telling us otherwise. While sitting I notice a young lady sitting on the other side of the aisle a row or two up. A young asian woman short dark hair and a rather attractive face. In my usual declaration of hoplessness I say to myself "Just forget it, you are a wedding. You need to behave and you know she is probably her with someone."
With that the wedding begins, I was very excited to see all the members of the "Brotherhood" except Marc, who I don't believe was invited. It had been a while since we all got together and the reality of our meetings becoming more and more associated with things like weddings, childbirths and funerals rather than the usual hanging out on a Friday night started to make me feel a little bit too old.
The wedding was short and sweet and yet I still managed to fall asleep. For that I am sorry Joy and Jim, however, I did see you exchange vows and say "I do". After the nuptuals we were headed for the Holiday Inn in some other one-horse town in Massachusetts. Now, I was really impressed with this hotel. I did not have high expectations upon arriving but upon entering I was in awe. You see, the outside of the building at night makes the hotel look deceivingly small and the first thing that popped into my head was "where the hell is the reception going to be?" Walking in, I realize right away I was wrong. After passing the front desk there was a wall of class doors. On the otherside of which was a huge, gorgeous atrium that was really quite neat! The pool was hidden in there among real trees, two gazeboes, and several stone pathways that made you feel like you were at a tropical resort of sorts.
So eventually they let everyone into the atrium, I had snuck in earlier. It was the cocktail hour along with cheese and crackers. I hate to say I don't usually eat cheese cubes but they had these pepperjack cheese cubes that really made your hair stand up. DAMN GOOD! So as I am sitting along this wall bench thingy, I noticed the cute Asian girl was sitting at the far end. So, now I have had a drink at this point on an empty stomach. It doesn't take me too long to forget myself and start strategizing how I am gonna talk to this girl. So naturally, Kevin is double fisting drinks already and being the social butterfly is mingling with people that he will never see again but somehow he quickly gets to know. As me and the rest of the wallflowers are chatting and making jokes, Kevin comes up and starts chatting and makes some rather funny comment. The cute Asian girl hears him and starts laughing...THERE"S MY OPENING! GO GO GO...only she talks to me first, "Are you on the bride or grooms side?" That my fellow readers is how I met the lovely Kim.
Now right away we start chatting and she has a great smile. But just as the conversation gets going, they announce the guests to their tables. So instead of just taking off, I decide to find out what table she is at, walk her there, and tell her to save me a dance. A DANCE! WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY WAS I THINKING!? I don't dance, unless I am completely shitfaced. I wasn't planning on getting that way either. The last time I was completely shitfaced and dancing, I was with Kevin, and some girl went home with my underwear.
Regardless I sit down at my table, #3 to be exact. Just as I am sitting down, the DJ who was right behind me, or should I say her 500 watt speaker, belts out a hello that sends me jumping to the ceiling! After climbing down, I get in my seat and the good times begin to roll. It was great to see everyone and we were all having a blast. Then Lisa, Melisa and Nancy come over. They are also friends of ours but they were all bridesmaids. I was sitting with their respective dates and I happen to mention Kim. Lisa immediately tells me she is with one of the groomsmen and to forget. I couldn't help but hear the heartless joy in her voice as she was telling me the news. However, I never give up and I feel I am pretty shrewd judge of these things and the boyfriend alarm was not going off when I spoke with her. So I will just assume Lisa is full of shit, has no idea what she is talking about and wants to rain on my parade.
Well after dinner I wander over to the bar, flying solo as I am want to do. I have a tendency to get solitary around alcohol. I tend to seperate myself from my friends and then go on the hunt for new "friends". Anyway as I am strutting up to the bar trying my best to give off a James Bond vibe, I see Kim. We start chatting again and this girl is cool as shit. However, we weren't chatting long till we were interrupted again by something I can't recall.
The night moves on, a few more drinks, some good laughs and the dance floor is up in a rush. So I figured what the hell, I walk up to Kim and say "Do you want to dance?" She grabs my hand and leads me to the floor. Now I have to admit, she has the softest hands I think I have ever felt. Generally girls in my experience have soft skin, for which I am eternally greatful but these things were like satin pillows. It was quite nice. Anyway we are dancing and chatting and I am doing my best not to sound like a drunk moron. Again, another bump in the road. The song is shorter than I had anticipated and rather than stand there in the waltz position we go our seperate ways. The night begins to wind down and I have to make another move.
My good friend the DJ announces that this will be the last song. I ask her to play one more slow one and she says she has to close up shop. Seeing the disappointment in my face apparently gives her the brilliant idea to play a slow song as the night's closer. This is my chance, now or never to have some uninterruppted time with Kim. I mosey over, half cocked and say Kim, will you dance the last song with me. She says "This is that last song" I say "Nope, I requested one so I can get another dance with you." HE SHOOTS HE SCORES!
Dancing to the last song was great. We got to chat some more and sober up and I was able to see that great smile. Then when it was over, I asked what her plans were. I was not going to bed anytime soon and I was still in the mood to party and the hotel bar was till open. All my friends were going down there and I asked her to join. She told me she had to play poker with her friends but if she had time she would come down.
Well, we went out seperate ways for a bit, before I called her and asked her to come down to the bar. Now, having a drink with a girl isn't really big deal on the cosmic scale of things. You would have thought I was having sex on the bar with Catherine Zeta Jones, the way my friends reacted. I felt like I was being watched by the Inquirer!
Anyway, Kim came down and we started chatting. She told me her last name and somethign didn't click. She had a spanish last name but looked Asian....immediately I realized she was Filipino. How cool is that!? She is originally from the Phillipines but somehow ended up in New Jersey. Talk about a let down! Anyway, I was able to figure out she was Filipino, which impressed her and then I started to ask her about Tagolog, the native language. "It is a combination of Spanish and Polynesian languages right?" She said yes and then asked me how I knew so much about it. I told her about my experiences in the martial arts and how I made it a point to learn about each culture those arts came from. Without missing a beat she asks me dead serious "This isn't a fetish thing, is it?" I think I almost fell out of my seat I was laughing so hard. The blunt question caught me so off guard and was so far from the truth I couldn't do anything but laugh. When I calmed down I answered honestly "No, not at all" and then conversation went on. But nothing is ever safe, Kevin comes over to tell me everyone is retiring for the evening. No sooner does he leave, then Lisa appears. "Don't stay out too late, we are going to bed soon. So please be back soon." Talk about mordifying. Like she was my mother! If that didn't deserve a slap I don't know what does. I was even more annoyed to find out later that Lisa was making assumptions that I was trying to get some ass but then so bluntly stated "well you can't bring her back here and she is sharing a room with that guy." To which, I triumphantly announced "No quite jackass. She has her own room by herself. Shut up and go to sleep!" Try and piss in my wheaties and I will cut you down everytime!
The night ended with me getting Kim's number, and walking her back to her room. I then returned to mine, although I forgot the number. My saving grace was that Lisa's voice can penetrate walls and I was able to hear Kevin and her talking. The downside was to all this was I would have much rather snuggled up with Kim for obvious reasons than listen to Kevin and Lisa fart and snore. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.
However, in the long run it was a happy ending. I met a really cool girl, who I talk to from time to time. I had a great time at Joy and Jim's wedding after having a terrible week. I ate well, drank well and slept well. Can't ask for anything more...well except to see Kim again.
The Edge
PS...I almost forgot about the Apples. I ate an Apple yesterday. You might not think that is a big deal but it is the first piece of fruit I have eatten since elementary school. In my attempt to lose weight and get healthy I took the fruit plunge. It was entirely too long of a wait!
So, my blog is coming along nicely. Taking a hint from Jim Lee's blog, I am now able to put up pictures on mine using Flickr.com. Be on the look out for all sorts of visual goodies! You never know what may pop up!
Moving on, let me go over the title. Girls, Apples, and pictures...well I think I covered the picture part, let's move onto girls.
I was chatting with a certain someone online last night and I realized that I had a great story to tell and for whatever reasons never put it down. This lovely young lady reminded me of this and so without further interuption, let me introduce my new friend Kim.
About two weeks ago I headed up to Massachusetts with Kevin (my hetero- lifemate) for a mutal friend's wedding. This was in a very rural area os Massachusetts that I sometimes forget exists. It often bothers me that when people think of the North East, everything is developed...well not this place. The wedding was in Hudson, MA. Way out in God's Country, but none the less a very cute New England town. Kevin actually worked up there during his highschool years. He performed community service, as many of us Catholics are forced to do, at a home for "pregnant crack-whores." Those are Kev's words not mine, but just so you don't think he is a total ass, Kevin is very active in his church and often volunteers his time. Whether it be teaching CCD or spending his time at hospitals working with severely retarded children. God help him, I sure as hell couldn't do it. Anyway, here we are driving around Hudson and Kevin says he wants to show me something. So we drive by the facility (which is really just an old house) for the pregnant crackwhores and he takes me to this petting zoo/general store. "Why the hell are you taking me here?" ask's I. "Because it is a cool store and your dear sweet mother would love it if you ever decided to take her here, you ungreatful bastard," say's Kevin.
So in I go and I have to admit that they had all sorts of great looking food and stuff. I am always down for homemade, all natural, don't give a shit as long as it tastes good food. However, attached is your typical New England nick knack shop, complete with little wooden houses, stuffed animals that you can pose, antique looking dolls, etc etc. A whole bunch of crafts that are really only good for kindling. So we walk around for a bit, then head back outside. Now I am in no way a sheltered child. I have travelled all across Europe, been to some of the shittiest ghettos in RI and DC, have been to every state on the Eastern Seaboard and I am pretty well educated. That being said I have never seen a live chicken.
Kev and I are walking around the "petting zoo" and we come to chicken coup #1. Now I have never seen a live chicken but I was pretty sure they weren't as big as these fowl dinosaurs. Freaking huge! Their legs weren't the skinny little twigs I had always pictured but were thick, muscular talon. I am standing there in awe of these beasts that I have so regularly dined on for many of my 26 years. As I am looking, I call to Kev, with blatant disregard for the children standing around me "Hey check out the size of these fucking chickens!" Kevin wobbles on over (he really has a very distinct walk!). He looks at the birds..."Dude, those are Roosters"
I can truly count on my hand how many times I have felt that stupid and embaressed in my life. So as I nonchalantly try to step away from the coup, I see Kevin wandering down some stairs to the horses. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have ridden a horse. I have only done it once and I will be in no good mood if I ever have to do it again. It is truly an epic story of my monumental bad luck. Regardless, with endless curiosity I decided to follow my good friend down the steps to a mother and her kids petty a young horse no more than two feet from a sign that clearly says "Please do not pet horses, they bite." Perhaps she thought she had more than one it was ok if one of her kids got maimed, I don't know. Kevin, on the other hand, I know can read and so I would not feel bad if the horse removed one of his digits. It would at least cause me to laugh hysterically as I try to bandage the stump. Well anyway, the horse was good and received the attention quite well, unlike the majority of actors in Hollywood.
I did noticed however that this horse was stranded on one side of its pen dud to a monstrous puddle, of unknown depth, that stretched widely across the yard. On the far side were what I can only assume to be the horse's relatives, all huddled in a corner. Apparently the horse was really a black sheep. Yes my humor is that dry.
We eventually leave the farm and head to the church. There is where things start to get interesting. Kevin and I arrive and seem to be the only ones there. We are pretty sure we have the right church and after about 20 minutes people start showing up. This will be the second non-Catholic wedding I have attended out of the 20 I have gone to in the last two years. I always get very excited to see how other religions do it. I hope to make it to a Jewish and a Muslim wedding someday. So we walk into this very nice Methodist Church, it was made in the "tudor" style of architecture of which I am a fan. So we sit down and wait for the show to begin. Mind you, Kev and I have not seen a soul we recognize and I am starting to think we may be at the wrong wedding except the program is telling us otherwise. While sitting I notice a young lady sitting on the other side of the aisle a row or two up. A young asian woman short dark hair and a rather attractive face. In my usual declaration of hoplessness I say to myself "Just forget it, you are a wedding. You need to behave and you know she is probably her with someone."
With that the wedding begins, I was very excited to see all the members of the "Brotherhood" except Marc, who I don't believe was invited. It had been a while since we all got together and the reality of our meetings becoming more and more associated with things like weddings, childbirths and funerals rather than the usual hanging out on a Friday night started to make me feel a little bit too old.
The wedding was short and sweet and yet I still managed to fall asleep. For that I am sorry Joy and Jim, however, I did see you exchange vows and say "I do". After the nuptuals we were headed for the Holiday Inn in some other one-horse town in Massachusetts. Now, I was really impressed with this hotel. I did not have high expectations upon arriving but upon entering I was in awe. You see, the outside of the building at night makes the hotel look deceivingly small and the first thing that popped into my head was "where the hell is the reception going to be?" Walking in, I realize right away I was wrong. After passing the front desk there was a wall of class doors. On the otherside of which was a huge, gorgeous atrium that was really quite neat! The pool was hidden in there among real trees, two gazeboes, and several stone pathways that made you feel like you were at a tropical resort of sorts.
So eventually they let everyone into the atrium, I had snuck in earlier. It was the cocktail hour along with cheese and crackers. I hate to say I don't usually eat cheese cubes but they had these pepperjack cheese cubes that really made your hair stand up. DAMN GOOD! So as I am sitting along this wall bench thingy, I noticed the cute Asian girl was sitting at the far end. So, now I have had a drink at this point on an empty stomach. It doesn't take me too long to forget myself and start strategizing how I am gonna talk to this girl. So naturally, Kevin is double fisting drinks already and being the social butterfly is mingling with people that he will never see again but somehow he quickly gets to know. As me and the rest of the wallflowers are chatting and making jokes, Kevin comes up and starts chatting and makes some rather funny comment. The cute Asian girl hears him and starts laughing...THERE"S MY OPENING! GO GO GO...only she talks to me first, "Are you on the bride or grooms side?" That my fellow readers is how I met the lovely Kim.
Now right away we start chatting and she has a great smile. But just as the conversation gets going, they announce the guests to their tables. So instead of just taking off, I decide to find out what table she is at, walk her there, and tell her to save me a dance. A DANCE! WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY WAS I THINKING!? I don't dance, unless I am completely shitfaced. I wasn't planning on getting that way either. The last time I was completely shitfaced and dancing, I was with Kevin, and some girl went home with my underwear.
Regardless I sit down at my table, #3 to be exact. Just as I am sitting down, the DJ who was right behind me, or should I say her 500 watt speaker, belts out a hello that sends me jumping to the ceiling! After climbing down, I get in my seat and the good times begin to roll. It was great to see everyone and we were all having a blast. Then Lisa, Melisa and Nancy come over. They are also friends of ours but they were all bridesmaids. I was sitting with their respective dates and I happen to mention Kim. Lisa immediately tells me she is with one of the groomsmen and to forget. I couldn't help but hear the heartless joy in her voice as she was telling me the news. However, I never give up and I feel I am pretty shrewd judge of these things and the boyfriend alarm was not going off when I spoke with her. So I will just assume Lisa is full of shit, has no idea what she is talking about and wants to rain on my parade.
Well after dinner I wander over to the bar, flying solo as I am want to do. I have a tendency to get solitary around alcohol. I tend to seperate myself from my friends and then go on the hunt for new "friends". Anyway as I am strutting up to the bar trying my best to give off a James Bond vibe, I see Kim. We start chatting again and this girl is cool as shit. However, we weren't chatting long till we were interrupted again by something I can't recall.
The night moves on, a few more drinks, some good laughs and the dance floor is up in a rush. So I figured what the hell, I walk up to Kim and say "Do you want to dance?" She grabs my hand and leads me to the floor. Now I have to admit, she has the softest hands I think I have ever felt. Generally girls in my experience have soft skin, for which I am eternally greatful but these things were like satin pillows. It was quite nice. Anyway we are dancing and chatting and I am doing my best not to sound like a drunk moron. Again, another bump in the road. The song is shorter than I had anticipated and rather than stand there in the waltz position we go our seperate ways. The night begins to wind down and I have to make another move.
My good friend the DJ announces that this will be the last song. I ask her to play one more slow one and she says she has to close up shop. Seeing the disappointment in my face apparently gives her the brilliant idea to play a slow song as the night's closer. This is my chance, now or never to have some uninterruppted time with Kim. I mosey over, half cocked and say Kim, will you dance the last song with me. She says "This is that last song" I say "Nope, I requested one so I can get another dance with you." HE SHOOTS HE SCORES!
Dancing to the last song was great. We got to chat some more and sober up and I was able to see that great smile. Then when it was over, I asked what her plans were. I was not going to bed anytime soon and I was still in the mood to party and the hotel bar was till open. All my friends were going down there and I asked her to join. She told me she had to play poker with her friends but if she had time she would come down.
Well, we went out seperate ways for a bit, before I called her and asked her to come down to the bar. Now, having a drink with a girl isn't really big deal on the cosmic scale of things. You would have thought I was having sex on the bar with Catherine Zeta Jones, the way my friends reacted. I felt like I was being watched by the Inquirer!
Anyway, Kim came down and we started chatting. She told me her last name and somethign didn't click. She had a spanish last name but looked Asian....immediately I realized she was Filipino. How cool is that!? She is originally from the Phillipines but somehow ended up in New Jersey. Talk about a let down! Anyway, I was able to figure out she was Filipino, which impressed her and then I started to ask her about Tagolog, the native language. "It is a combination of Spanish and Polynesian languages right?" She said yes and then asked me how I knew so much about it. I told her about my experiences in the martial arts and how I made it a point to learn about each culture those arts came from. Without missing a beat she asks me dead serious "This isn't a fetish thing, is it?" I think I almost fell out of my seat I was laughing so hard. The blunt question caught me so off guard and was so far from the truth I couldn't do anything but laugh. When I calmed down I answered honestly "No, not at all" and then conversation went on. But nothing is ever safe, Kevin comes over to tell me everyone is retiring for the evening. No sooner does he leave, then Lisa appears. "Don't stay out too late, we are going to bed soon. So please be back soon." Talk about mordifying. Like she was my mother! If that didn't deserve a slap I don't know what does. I was even more annoyed to find out later that Lisa was making assumptions that I was trying to get some ass but then so bluntly stated "well you can't bring her back here and she is sharing a room with that guy." To which, I triumphantly announced "No quite jackass. She has her own room by herself. Shut up and go to sleep!" Try and piss in my wheaties and I will cut you down everytime!
The night ended with me getting Kim's number, and walking her back to her room. I then returned to mine, although I forgot the number. My saving grace was that Lisa's voice can penetrate walls and I was able to hear Kevin and her talking. The downside was to all this was I would have much rather snuggled up with Kim for obvious reasons than listen to Kevin and Lisa fart and snore. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.
However, in the long run it was a happy ending. I met a really cool girl, who I talk to from time to time. I had a great time at Joy and Jim's wedding after having a terrible week. I ate well, drank well and slept well. Can't ask for anything more...well except to see Kim again.
The Edge
PS...I almost forgot about the Apples. I ate an Apple yesterday. You might not think that is a big deal but it is the first piece of fruit I have eatten since elementary school. In my attempt to lose weight and get healthy I took the fruit plunge. It was entirely too long of a wait!
Saturday, November 20, 2004
the funny thing about blogs....
So the problem I have with this whole blogging thing, besides keeping up with it, is that I have a tendency to read other peoples rather than write in mine. For example, my college roommate and good friend Jay Rob has a most excellent blog, http://black-coffee.blog-city.com/ , where he goes into everything from politics, religion, girls and sports. What is even better is that he also fills us clueless white boys in on a modern black man's perspective on things. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think what Jay writes is what every African American thinks, far from it, but it is great to get a different point of view!
Another great example of a blog that keeps me reading and not writing is Jim Lee's blog. For those of you who don't know, Jim Lee is possibly the greatest living comic book artist on the planet. He is also one of my art inspirations and heroes. The man can throw down lines...he just seemingly pulls them out of the ether and next thing you know you got a bad ass picture of Batman. Anyway Jim's blog has fellow contributors from Wildstorm studios. Richard Friend, Carlos D'anda, Ale Garza, the beautiful Sandra Hope, etc etc. If you are a fan of Wildstorm's work and you want to get a glimpse of what goes on behind the drawing board, this is a great place to check in.
So if you are wondering why I don't post more that is why! I can't stop reading other people's blogs. Maybe it is because I think they are more interesting than my own or because I am a voyeur, or maybe I just love information. Either way, there are some great sites out there and if you like to hear what people have to say but don't necessarily like to read the paper (my BA in Journalism did wonder's for me!) see if they have a blog or a website. It is great fun
A preview of what is to come...
1) A list of the top ten things I want to do before I leave Rhode Island!
2) An updated version of the blog, with pictures and links and much much more!
3) More great writings on my experience outside of my room and what that entails
4) Reviews of movies, comics, books, games, tv and more (Sequential Tart eat your heart out!)
5) general fun from the mind of me, the Edge
Another great example of a blog that keeps me reading and not writing is Jim Lee's blog. For those of you who don't know, Jim Lee is possibly the greatest living comic book artist on the planet. He is also one of my art inspirations and heroes. The man can throw down lines...he just seemingly pulls them out of the ether and next thing you know you got a bad ass picture of Batman. Anyway Jim's blog has fellow contributors from Wildstorm studios. Richard Friend, Carlos D'anda, Ale Garza, the beautiful Sandra Hope, etc etc. If you are a fan of Wildstorm's work and you want to get a glimpse of what goes on behind the drawing board, this is a great place to check in.
So if you are wondering why I don't post more that is why! I can't stop reading other people's blogs. Maybe it is because I think they are more interesting than my own or because I am a voyeur, or maybe I just love information. Either way, there are some great sites out there and if you like to hear what people have to say but don't necessarily like to read the paper (my BA in Journalism did wonder's for me!) see if they have a blog or a website. It is great fun
A preview of what is to come...
1) A list of the top ten things I want to do before I leave Rhode Island!
2) An updated version of the blog, with pictures and links and much much more!
3) More great writings on my experience outside of my room and what that entails
4) Reviews of movies, comics, books, games, tv and more (Sequential Tart eat your heart out!)
5) general fun from the mind of me, the Edge
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
long time, sanded floor, new comics
I know I know, it has been a while since I have written. Why do I act like I actually have an audience? I guess because the alternative is harder to write for and is too much like talking to myself. Anyway there is a lot going on right now and I wish I had more time to put it all down. To make a long post shorter, a recap of my week started with packing everything I own into cardboard for the movers. That was hell. Then out of the blue my father asks me to sand the floor and refinish it. Certain parts came out good, others I am doing again tommorrow. Today was new comic book day and while I didn't think anything good was coming out I got some nice surprises at the comic shop. Which reminds me I forgot to read one of them and so ends this post...
Monday, November 01, 2004
Back at work
Hello True Believers!
No, I don't feel bad that I rip off Stan Lee's opening greetings. If you mind, you can easly leave me a comment to which I will most certainly reply "PISS OFF!"
I am back at work today after my week in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. I am both excited and apprehensive about returning to school and moving to a new location. But I just remind myself that a) I have done it before and b) I have been to far worse shitholes than Savannah, GA!
Anyway, this is my last week at work. As of Friday I will no longer be an employee of World Courier Ground. This goodbye is bittersweet. This is the longest job I have ever held, I have been here just over a year (like a year and a day). For that reason I am rather proud of myself. It is an unfortunate trait of mine that I tend to get restless rather quickly and when that happens, "SO LONG SUCKERS!" is pretty much my goodbye. This is probably why I have never had a relationship longer than a year, but that is another topic that I am very sure will be covered again and again in this small corner of the Web. Yes, right, this is my longest held position in the work place. Truly something to be proud of when I think of all the nonsense I had to put up with I first got hired. The back in forth between full time and part time, the pay cuts, the pulling of benefits, the hours, I could go on and on. I did however, learn quite a lot about the logistics industry. Unfortunately I also learned that the market is getting smaller and unless your one of the big boys, keeping your head above water is a truly uphill battle. Ok, yes that was way too many metaphors in one sentence. Yes, I have a degree in Journalism, no I don't use it that often and once again THIS IS MY BLOG SO PISS OFF!
I am at work writing this which some may think as unethical, I think of it more as keeping myself busy when no one else is here. That is one thing I learned quickly at this job. Just how much I like to work by myself and in a team. There is a certain ratio that I will need to keep in check for the rest of my working life that I seemed to have found here. I also successfully reinforced my strong distaste for micromanagers. Such people should truly be severely hurt.
Getting back on track, I will sort of miss this place. My daily lunches with Justin, my verbal sparring with Jerry and Mike, my complete disregard for authority when speaking with the President, my conversation with Bill the matience man...truly these things make my day that much more enjoyable. Yet I am not really sad to see this place go, or should I say see myself walk out the door. This is not a really happy place to work in. There has been a high turnover of people in my department of four and there seems to be a lot of closet animosity towards the higher ups. Whether that is justified or not is a debate that would surely fill more pages than the 9/11 Commission. But it does take's it toll. Perhaps it is my age that keeps me from getting so attached to what I do. From the first day I walked in I told myself to maintain a healthy since of detachment, do not get too invested in what goes on. When it becomes personal, work can take a destructive turn down the spiral. I have succesfully avoided this. Mind you, I have certainly done my fair share of complaining, as is any workers right when he is on the bottom of the totem pole. But I don't feel I had the voracity or the dislike in my complaints as some of my other co-workers. This is a rather troubling thing to witness for two reasons. 1) Is it a prediciton of my future in the working world that as I age I will become more bitter? 2) Is it a reflection of my apathy or even more so an indication of a higher level of apathy than what I realized I had?
Either way, I am glad to be moving. If for no other reason than the sheer adventure of it all. However, as excited as I am, I do hope my restlessness will one day fade away and leave me with a home, a love and a purpose. As for now, it seems to early to tell
Peace
No, I don't feel bad that I rip off Stan Lee's opening greetings. If you mind, you can easly leave me a comment to which I will most certainly reply "PISS OFF!"
I am back at work today after my week in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. I am both excited and apprehensive about returning to school and moving to a new location. But I just remind myself that a) I have done it before and b) I have been to far worse shitholes than Savannah, GA!
Anyway, this is my last week at work. As of Friday I will no longer be an employee of World Courier Ground. This goodbye is bittersweet. This is the longest job I have ever held, I have been here just over a year (like a year and a day). For that reason I am rather proud of myself. It is an unfortunate trait of mine that I tend to get restless rather quickly and when that happens, "SO LONG SUCKERS!" is pretty much my goodbye. This is probably why I have never had a relationship longer than a year, but that is another topic that I am very sure will be covered again and again in this small corner of the Web. Yes, right, this is my longest held position in the work place. Truly something to be proud of when I think of all the nonsense I had to put up with I first got hired. The back in forth between full time and part time, the pay cuts, the pulling of benefits, the hours, I could go on and on. I did however, learn quite a lot about the logistics industry. Unfortunately I also learned that the market is getting smaller and unless your one of the big boys, keeping your head above water is a truly uphill battle. Ok, yes that was way too many metaphors in one sentence. Yes, I have a degree in Journalism, no I don't use it that often and once again THIS IS MY BLOG SO PISS OFF!
I am at work writing this which some may think as unethical, I think of it more as keeping myself busy when no one else is here. That is one thing I learned quickly at this job. Just how much I like to work by myself and in a team. There is a certain ratio that I will need to keep in check for the rest of my working life that I seemed to have found here. I also successfully reinforced my strong distaste for micromanagers. Such people should truly be severely hurt.
Getting back on track, I will sort of miss this place. My daily lunches with Justin, my verbal sparring with Jerry and Mike, my complete disregard for authority when speaking with the President, my conversation with Bill the matience man...truly these things make my day that much more enjoyable. Yet I am not really sad to see this place go, or should I say see myself walk out the door. This is not a really happy place to work in. There has been a high turnover of people in my department of four and there seems to be a lot of closet animosity towards the higher ups. Whether that is justified or not is a debate that would surely fill more pages than the 9/11 Commission. But it does take's it toll. Perhaps it is my age that keeps me from getting so attached to what I do. From the first day I walked in I told myself to maintain a healthy since of detachment, do not get too invested in what goes on. When it becomes personal, work can take a destructive turn down the spiral. I have succesfully avoided this. Mind you, I have certainly done my fair share of complaining, as is any workers right when he is on the bottom of the totem pole. But I don't feel I had the voracity or the dislike in my complaints as some of my other co-workers. This is a rather troubling thing to witness for two reasons. 1) Is it a prediciton of my future in the working world that as I age I will become more bitter? 2) Is it a reflection of my apathy or even more so an indication of a higher level of apathy than what I realized I had?
Either way, I am glad to be moving. If for no other reason than the sheer adventure of it all. However, as excited as I am, I do hope my restlessness will one day fade away and leave me with a home, a love and a purpose. As for now, it seems to early to tell
Peace
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Back in RI
I got back to Rhode Island at like 2:30 pm. What a week! My vacation is flying by and to be honest it is a little upsetting. But there isn't much I can do about it. If I was in RI for most of my vacation I would have just sat on my ass anyway! There is shit to do around here and no one to do it with!
Anyway, Savannah, as previously mentioned is absolutely gorgeous. A great town all around. But the SCAD was the icing on the cake. Talk about a great learning/working environment with all sorts of facilities where they spare no expense. It really is a hell of a school, if I was half as excited about American as I am about SCAD I probably would have done a whole lot better in DC. But anyway it was just great to walk around and get an idea of the city and the school.
Now comes the hard part! I have to get loan money from various different sources and move down there as well.
I will admit thought I was a little apprehensive about the new location. I am only about 20 minutes away from the school which is the equivalent of Rockville to DC, but where I am living there is really nothing out there. I am sort of worried that all I am going to do is get up go to school and come home. For the most part that will be my life, however I would like some distraction as well. It would be nice to get involved at school and I am just concerned that being as far out as I am will sort of hinder any sort of social life.
The new house my parents are building will be really nice when it is done. It is coming along splendedly; I toured the site while I was down there. I thought it would have been bigger but perhaps my perception was off. Anyway the development will be similar to that of King Farm. Lots of houses and stuff in a self contained community. There is also an education complex next door that goes from k-12 and it has a stadium. A FREAKING STADIUM! Football is really big down there and on Friday nights the whole town shuts down to watch the game. A bit silly I think, but then again I never played football so what the hell do I know?
All in all it was a good trip and I think my reservation about living in South Carolina instead of Savannah will go away in time. I just felt a little stranded but I am hoping that will change when I become more familar with the area. I also hope to continue my training down there so that I can run some races come the spring and summer. The biking maybe hard, but I can run at least. I have no idea where I am going to swim yet, so I will have to figure all that out. I can't worry about it now even though I know I am going too. I think my best bet is focus on losing some more weight and building up my mileage, in running especially, before I start to worry about races. Anyway I am getting sleepy, so I am gonna turn in. Peace
Mark
Anyway, Savannah, as previously mentioned is absolutely gorgeous. A great town all around. But the SCAD was the icing on the cake. Talk about a great learning/working environment with all sorts of facilities where they spare no expense. It really is a hell of a school, if I was half as excited about American as I am about SCAD I probably would have done a whole lot better in DC. But anyway it was just great to walk around and get an idea of the city and the school.
Now comes the hard part! I have to get loan money from various different sources and move down there as well.
I will admit thought I was a little apprehensive about the new location. I am only about 20 minutes away from the school which is the equivalent of Rockville to DC, but where I am living there is really nothing out there. I am sort of worried that all I am going to do is get up go to school and come home. For the most part that will be my life, however I would like some distraction as well. It would be nice to get involved at school and I am just concerned that being as far out as I am will sort of hinder any sort of social life.
The new house my parents are building will be really nice when it is done. It is coming along splendedly; I toured the site while I was down there. I thought it would have been bigger but perhaps my perception was off. Anyway the development will be similar to that of King Farm. Lots of houses and stuff in a self contained community. There is also an education complex next door that goes from k-12 and it has a stadium. A FREAKING STADIUM! Football is really big down there and on Friday nights the whole town shuts down to watch the game. A bit silly I think, but then again I never played football so what the hell do I know?
All in all it was a good trip and I think my reservation about living in South Carolina instead of Savannah will go away in time. I just felt a little stranded but I am hoping that will change when I become more familar with the area. I also hope to continue my training down there so that I can run some races come the spring and summer. The biking maybe hard, but I can run at least. I have no idea where I am going to swim yet, so I will have to figure all that out. I can't worry about it now even though I know I am going too. I think my best bet is focus on losing some more weight and building up my mileage, in running especially, before I start to worry about races. Anyway I am getting sleepy, so I am gonna turn in. Peace
Mark
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Savannah
Well this is my last night in Hilton Head, SC. It really is very beautiful down here. For those of you not in the loop I have been accepted to the Savannah College of Art and Design. I came down to stay with some family friends in HH, while I checked out SCAD. I have to say Savannah is breathtaking. The architecture alone could keep you busy for weeks. It definitly has a flavor all of its own!
SCAD as a school is truly top notch. The facilities were hightech, outstandingly clean and overall looked like a great working environment. I think I am really going to enjoy attending there even if right now I have no idea what the hell I am doing.
My parents are building a rather expensive vacation home about 20 minutes north of Savannah. This is where I will be living for the next few years. Now it is really cool that I will pretty much have a house to myself however I am a little weary of it all. I mean, commuting to school and dealing with parking could get really old when I could just as easily live in Savannah. Although I will save money on rent and utilities. I guess I just have this feeling of missing out on something. I really would like to be involved as much as possible and get as much out of this experience as I can. Savannah as a city seems to offer all sorts of "adventure" and the more I can experience it the more satisfied with my stay I will be. Anyway I am going to keep this entry short and I will definitly tell more about my trip when I get back home. Sadly I am using a dial up connection and well folks, it just doesn't cut the mustard!
peace
SCAD as a school is truly top notch. The facilities were hightech, outstandingly clean and overall looked like a great working environment. I think I am really going to enjoy attending there even if right now I have no idea what the hell I am doing.
My parents are building a rather expensive vacation home about 20 minutes north of Savannah. This is where I will be living for the next few years. Now it is really cool that I will pretty much have a house to myself however I am a little weary of it all. I mean, commuting to school and dealing with parking could get really old when I could just as easily live in Savannah. Although I will save money on rent and utilities. I guess I just have this feeling of missing out on something. I really would like to be involved as much as possible and get as much out of this experience as I can. Savannah as a city seems to offer all sorts of "adventure" and the more I can experience it the more satisfied with my stay I will be. Anyway I am going to keep this entry short and I will definitly tell more about my trip when I get back home. Sadly I am using a dial up connection and well folks, it just doesn't cut the mustard!
peace
Sunday, October 24, 2004
last night
Well ladies and gentlemen the Red Sox have one their first game of the World Series and all I have to say is that I am still in shock. Growing up I never thought I would see a New England team bring home a championship. Why would I think that? Not that I was ever a huge sports fan, don't get me wrong I love to play but watching and following teams always seemed pointless to me. So it wasn't like I had an solid reasons to doubt my home teams, but for some reason I just didn't think it was gonna happen. That changed when the Patriots won the SuperBowl and then went on to win two more. Immediately, my mind went to the Red Sox. Could they ever do it? To be honest it just never seemed possible, especially after watching the first three games of the NCLS. Then something happened...as soon as I stopped watching they started winning and winning big. I mean, I am no Yankee fan but give credit where credit is due they are a baseball juggernaut and not an easy team to beat. When you throw in a negative attitude and the "curse" it is like climbing Mt. Everest in a speedo and flip flops. But the Sox pulled it off! Now we are in the series with a good chance to win...truly unbelievable.
I went to this new bar in downtown providence last night for two reasons. One to watch...err listen to the game and the other to meet face to face with a girl I met online. Now there are many critics and supporters of online dating, I tend to see it as something to do but not really expecting much out of it. This time however, I was intrigued because the young lady in question had approached me. Always a way to get on my good side! So after eating dinner with my wingman, Steve, we went to McFadden's. This is Providence's newest hotspot. All the hoochies and quidos, the young imbecilic college girls, the high rolling players, the golddiggers, even a few on leave soldiers make this place there new watering hole. To be sure, the place is in fact a nice bar, with several large screen TV's, good food, and nice atmosphere. All of which goes to hell when it is packed with the aforemetioned population.
So anyway, after waiting in line for like 40 minutes we get inside. Steve and I get a drink and then I set about to meet this young lass in person. Well upon meeting her it is clear that she is royally shitfaced. Now, I have had my fair share of runins with drunk people and I am in no way to be excluded from the intoxicated club. But this girl was fucked. She repeated the same sentence to me about 5 or 6 different times in 5-10 minute time spans. But what really annoyed me is that I went outta my way to meet this girl and when I get in the bar she hang all over this guy and then she comes talks to me for a bit and then goes back to him. So after a minute or so of that I was like whatever and watched the two of them walk off together. Of course as they are leaving I hear that guy's buddies cheer "Go get her!" Now to say that I am not a competitive person would be like saying Martin Luther King was a nazi. While I may not seem like it at first, I am a certified Alpha Male and while this girl owes me nothing, I can't help but feel a little territorial. Stupid, yes, Childish, certainly...to be swayed by superior logic, absolutely not. Visions of me ripping this guy's eyeballs out of his head flash through my frontal lobes. Make no mistake it would have been a battle on par with Batman vs. Killer Croc or Wolverine vs. the Hulk. He was much bigger than I, but I am pretty sure I was meaner.
Anyway I watched them go. But the night of fun did not end there. Oh no, as I turn around who is standing next to me? The blond chemist that I bought a drink at another bar many months ago. I even got her number, only to call her a few days later to her "Oh sorry I have a boyfriend!" It wasn't salt in the open wound folks, it was lye. Yet there was some good in this, she did not recognize me at first because of the goatee! However being a sharp girl she sooned saw through the facial hair. Now I mean no ill will to this girl, but it seems every hot spot or bar I go to she and her friend are always there. Both of them are very attractive. They tend to get a lot of attention and they also tend to have VIP cards wherever they go. For some reason that infuriates me. I don't know why...it just really pisses me off. Just like the little hooched up college girls that flirt with the bouncer to get in before everyone else. THAT REALLY ENRAGES ME! Well anyway the night pretty much ended for me after that. I don't know why I get so frustrated with the opposite sex and while I feel so innept in social situations like that. It is truly strange, I feel completely powerless in that arena. But at least the Red Sox won!
I went to this new bar in downtown providence last night for two reasons. One to watch...err listen to the game and the other to meet face to face with a girl I met online. Now there are many critics and supporters of online dating, I tend to see it as something to do but not really expecting much out of it. This time however, I was intrigued because the young lady in question had approached me. Always a way to get on my good side! So after eating dinner with my wingman, Steve, we went to McFadden's. This is Providence's newest hotspot. All the hoochies and quidos, the young imbecilic college girls, the high rolling players, the golddiggers, even a few on leave soldiers make this place there new watering hole. To be sure, the place is in fact a nice bar, with several large screen TV's, good food, and nice atmosphere. All of which goes to hell when it is packed with the aforemetioned population.
So anyway, after waiting in line for like 40 minutes we get inside. Steve and I get a drink and then I set about to meet this young lass in person. Well upon meeting her it is clear that she is royally shitfaced. Now, I have had my fair share of runins with drunk people and I am in no way to be excluded from the intoxicated club. But this girl was fucked. She repeated the same sentence to me about 5 or 6 different times in 5-10 minute time spans. But what really annoyed me is that I went outta my way to meet this girl and when I get in the bar she hang all over this guy and then she comes talks to me for a bit and then goes back to him. So after a minute or so of that I was like whatever and watched the two of them walk off together. Of course as they are leaving I hear that guy's buddies cheer "Go get her!" Now to say that I am not a competitive person would be like saying Martin Luther King was a nazi. While I may not seem like it at first, I am a certified Alpha Male and while this girl owes me nothing, I can't help but feel a little territorial. Stupid, yes, Childish, certainly...to be swayed by superior logic, absolutely not. Visions of me ripping this guy's eyeballs out of his head flash through my frontal lobes. Make no mistake it would have been a battle on par with Batman vs. Killer Croc or Wolverine vs. the Hulk. He was much bigger than I, but I am pretty sure I was meaner.
Anyway I watched them go. But the night of fun did not end there. Oh no, as I turn around who is standing next to me? The blond chemist that I bought a drink at another bar many months ago. I even got her number, only to call her a few days later to her "Oh sorry I have a boyfriend!" It wasn't salt in the open wound folks, it was lye. Yet there was some good in this, she did not recognize me at first because of the goatee! However being a sharp girl she sooned saw through the facial hair. Now I mean no ill will to this girl, but it seems every hot spot or bar I go to she and her friend are always there. Both of them are very attractive. They tend to get a lot of attention and they also tend to have VIP cards wherever they go. For some reason that infuriates me. I don't know why...it just really pisses me off. Just like the little hooched up college girls that flirt with the bouncer to get in before everyone else. THAT REALLY ENRAGES ME! Well anyway the night pretty much ended for me after that. I don't know why I get so frustrated with the opposite sex and while I feel so innept in social situations like that. It is truly strange, I feel completely powerless in that arena. But at least the Red Sox won!
Thursday, October 21, 2004
great quote
I was messing around on AOL IM last night and saw my old roomie had put up an away message. Usually he just signs off or leaves it running with no away message, so I figured if he one up he had something he wanted people to read. What follows is perhaps one of the greatest quotes anyone has ever made...
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." John Stuart Mill
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." John Stuart Mill
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Fatboy Edge
I consider it a disturbing fact that the majority of America is obese. I consider it even more disturbing that I technically add to that majority. Now it isn't like I live a sedintary lifestyle. I work out like a crazy man! I have seen some improvement in my strength and muscle size, but still seem to retain some useless body fat that just won't quit. I have concluded that it is in fact my diet that is keeping me from becoming the trim and slim young man that I once was. However, saying that is so much easier than doing that. Let's look at the facts of my life.
1) I hate and therefore don't ever cook. I pretty much always eat out.
2) I am a very picky eater
3) I love to eat
4) I live with my parents, who are not the pinnacle of fitness...which means they don't exactly buy the healthiest food. Which means I continue to eat terribly.
Why am I writing this? The frustration of trying to lose weight and increase athletic performance is not an easy burden to bare.
Solutions?
1) I hate and therefore don't ever cook. I pretty much always eat out.
2) I am a very picky eater
3) I love to eat
4) I live with my parents, who are not the pinnacle of fitness...which means they don't exactly buy the healthiest food. Which means I continue to eat terribly.
Why am I writing this? The frustration of trying to lose weight and increase athletic performance is not an easy burden to bare.
Solutions?
Thursday, October 07, 2004
old blog
Here is the link to my old blog. I am trying to bring the entries over but for now this will have to do!
http://maq911.diary-x.com/
http://maq911.diary-x.com/
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
The Beginning
Well this is the first entry into my new blog by google. I will have to keep this short because I am presently at work. Which basically means I am staring at the wall and bored out of my mind...oh shit here comes by boss...and I'm clear. Whew! That was a fortuituous experiment. I just recently moved my desk around and now no one can see my monitor unless they move around behind me. I think it was a wise decision.
Ok gotta go
Ok gotta go
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