state parks knows it all

2008-11-06T22:26:00.001-08:00

She also often calls me The Polar Bear, (I like this a lot) also based on something from tele-entertainment.

2008-10-21T21:09:00.001-07:00

Frances has taken to frequently calling me Bob (as in Bob The Builder). Of course it's only funny if you're there to see it, but I get a real chuckle when I'm down in the basement having fun cleaning up cat vomit and hear her running around upstairs asking mom "where's bob?"

More exciting is my wife's latest bronchial infection. The last one lasted four months (of constant wracking coughs). This time she saw the doctor after two weeks! Yay! Maybe the codeine and steroids will work quickly ....

2008-08-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

More from the 2-year-old file for you armchair parents, plus, it's got lyrics!

So the girl and I were sitting at the gas station filling up and listening to the song Time To Pretend by MGMT (it goes a little bit like this)

"I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life.
Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives.
I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin, and fuck with the stars.
You man the island and the cocaine and the elegant cars.

This is our decision, to live fast and die young.
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun."

At about this point in the song she says "Hey, this song is about me!"

I don't know where that came from or if she could even hear the lyrics (maybe she just really identified with the beat). I'm telling her she can be a rock star if she wants.

there's no point to this blog any more ...

2008-07-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

Patience is a virtue. Since the house was a mess, I really wanted to do some sweeping, and of course F-dog wanted to help. I would sweep up huge piles of cat hair (PS - I know I'm not going to hell when I die, as having three indoor cats for the last 13 years has created my own hell-on-earth) and then F would come along with the dustpan and brush, scattering the pile more widely than when it started.

As with all toddler-included activities, this sweep up took four times as long as it should, but it's wrong to be frustrated, so I just let it roll. And then I changed her diaper three times in one hour. It was a long morning.

Later she was blocked from passing between the couch and coffee table by a large basket, and asked herself "how I will get through this baskety, baskety world?" I let her figure that one out for herself. Hopefully she'll get through the baskety world OK from here on out.

A company filmed a bit of an infomercial at the cafe where my art is hanging, so someday if you see a half-hour GoSmile ad on TV, look closely and you may see my stuff. The wife used her work skills to negotiate a small fee for usage - something I wouldn't have tried, so the show is less in the red than it was a week ago. Of course all that money is already gone, but what are you going to do?

We ended the week with F driving her little car down three steps of our porch and doing a face-plant. Dad feels pretty bad about that.

2008-04-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Another day, another bunch of fun in the morning, sweet smiles and silly behavior. Then again, there are still those feelings that I'm not coming up with enough fun and educational activities, not to mention finding friends. Then, the nap comes and usually ends in between 3:30 and 4:00 PM. It seems too late to do much other than things in the neighborhood (or in the house on cold days like today). That's when good old crippling self doubt comes in. What am I doing? What will I do when it's time to go back to work? Where are those activities to educate the girl?

On the plus side, Frances ate fairly well at dinner, and then when she started begging for cookies without having had her mashed sweet potatoes, we stood firm. She begged, we said first sweet potatoes, then cookie. Usually we'd give in, but not tonight, and there was no big scene! Hooray for being firm.

3/29/2008

2008-03-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

Signs that there may be trouble. Tonight, asked mom and daughter if it was OK to play White Zombie on the iPod, Frances said it would be OK. After a minute or two, daughter requested Black Zombie.

Earlier in week, asked daughter what she liked to do on hot days. Daughter replied, 'burning puppies.'

I'm a little worried.

2008-03-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to see who had me on RSS : )
But seriously, I was trying to upload this image and got tired of waiting, then I thought it might be neat to post a big zero ...

2008-03-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

so it's come to this ...

2008-02-01T14:09:00.000-08:00

... cross-posting to different blogs. Here's the dupe:
Well, january was not the greatest month ever, were I superstitious I would fear the possible foreboding, but (though actions speak louder than words) I look on such things as motivation to improve the next 11 lots.

Just gotta come up with a plan.

Anyway, 2nd week of the month was norovirus X 3, not fun hearing the baby moan 'why' as she writhed about in despair, pushing me away, but ... EVs! (This was after my two-weeks cold, mind you.)

Then my back problems reared their head again, with the usual stiffness and pain culminating in spasms as I was caught in traffic driving the family home one night. Finally got some advice on treatment and exercises, and the pain has subsided (no spasms) but it's going to be a long road back to better (never again perfect) functionality.

Then the baby got sick again! Bad cold this time, just one day of writhing and moaning so far, with a tissue every thirty seconds or so. We'll see how this afternoon goes ...

I'd say: Oh well, at least we have our health! BAHHAHAHAAHAHA I'm The Goddamn Batman!

Better days, dudes!

1/ 08/ 08

2008-01-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

Here's another sick post, and it takes such effort to do. I don't know if it's my TV watching, or reading of OPBs, but I find my own blogging to be incredibly arduous and tiring.
Anyway, Frances has a horrible stomach bug, with the vomiting and no eating and as-close-to-nothing fluids today. It's ripping my heart out. I was saying the night before she got sick (I should shut my mouth) how lucky we were with her and sickness and especially that she hadn't had any vomiting bugs, so aside from being a precog or short-range curser, maybe I'm not inured enough to the suffering. I'd rather cut off both my hands than see her like this.
Plus, I have it too, or some amazing coincidence bug, but I am suffering differently (and can take it, being older) and bad things have happened. Unspeakable things.
Well, here's a picture from a month or two ago. Won't someone help this child?

2007-12-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

11/18/2007

2007-11-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

I hear the clamoring of the masses (Hi Wife and Ashley!) so here you go. For the wife, none of this will be news, plus, I'm tired of blogging and computers in general ...

F-dog took another tumble yesterday and got a little bitty split lip! Poor girl - it was her first real bleeding injury (except for shots) and of course shocked us. But nothing a minute or two of snuggling and juggling (try it!) didn't cure.

She has noticed me playing air guitar while listening to oldies radio and classic rock and has started joining in. Gotta love the girl who learns air guitar before she can totally walk.

Whoops, Hasselbeck just got sacked again, gotta go. Here's a Halloween piccie for you ...

10 25 2007

2007-10-25T15:06:00.001-07:00

Sleepyheads Unite! My favorite thing of today is checking in on the napper (aged almost 18-months) and kind-of waking her up. She rolls and stretches a bit and looks up through half-open eyes. I ask her if she's ready to get up and she cleary shakes her head. I ask her if she wants to sleep some more and she clearly nods. I leave the room.

9 30 2007

2007-09-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am totally lost. Please put a "Kiss the cook" apron on me and leave me in the yard. Not that it's the season anymore, it's just that my weekends are now officially occupied with: a) work around the house, and b) watching football on Sundays. How did I willingly and calculatedly allow myself to become a cliche? And why do I like it? It must have started in my late-20s when I started to conciously desire not to 'look like an individual,' but to blend in to the crowd. One can only fight the tide for so long.
Of course I'm still a freak, but last weekedn I spent my time doing stucco repair to a behind-the-downspout area on the second story and glancing in to the TV to watch the Seahawks.

Today was minor stuff, patching a hole in the soon-to-be family room wall, changing the furnace filter, varnishing thresholds and watching the Seahawks win again. Plus watched and reviewed a kids DVD F-dog may like in a year or two.

F-dog has a cold again, but we've been pretty lucky the last few months. It makes her sniffly, sleepy and cranky, except for when she got up from her nap and cracked herself up for a few minutes by kicking the crib. She fell into a doorjamb at N+P's and bruised her cheek and got a little black eye! Oh no! But she's a tough kid. Also went to the Polish Festival for like the 5th year or so. But on the neg, locked keys in car - hate that type of expense!

Otherwise, I am intermittently really enjoying things.

Sept 2007

2007-09-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

Lat few days we've been working on walking, pulling up and hanging out with other babies, All of which are going OK. since she wasn't a crawler she hasn't made that leap from hands and knees to squatting and then standing. We are exploring different techniques.

Walking is coming along, with lots of stretches of holding just one of her hands, and a few times where I'll let her try standing on her own. She went three steps a few times the other day.

We went to playgroup on Monday and she did well, scooting out in the middle of all the babies to get a toy. Then one of them will barrell into her and she gets a bit upset. Met some people from down the street who we'll hopefully be able to hang out with some. They do a weekly lunch at varying houses, but it is during F's nap-time right now ...

Went to Tandem Coffeehouse on Tuesday. Reese never fails to make F cry, but it's good for her to get used to boisterous toddlers. There's always a friendly baby and mom or two there in the kids area, which is great. Elinor and her dad often show up too, both of whom are very cute.

Little mini-playdates on Wednesday and Friday with Lucy and Matthew. We all work on sharing and stuff, and Lucy pushed herself along the floor to get a ball today. Go Lucy!

Thursday was a Zoo trip with the Beansprouts, which was lots of fun, culminating in a late train-ride ... a good group of people (no dads of course, but I'm getting used to it).

Also been working on sign language, words we are trying are: happy, (abstract, I know) water, and more. She has tried to make the happy sign and I think she got something of 'the hang of' more today.

Good times, good times

will be brief

2007-09-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

1st a complaint: portentous or pretentious titles to blog posts, blogging has made everyone think they are raymond chandler or maya angelou. from now on all my posts will be clumsy and numbered instead of titled.

Anywhoo, me and the F did our monday shopping. not too exciting. got flowers for the mom, hair clips and stickers for the babe ...
a nice walk/ ride on the scooter made us late for lunch. f had some cooked carrots.

went to playgroup and overstayed our welcome. F is getting more comfortable with a bunch of crazy kids running around. met a new neighborhoodie who lives down the street and wants to restart her group of 'moms' (quotes mine) like she had in LA. told her i'm all into it.

kid helped me snap green beans and worked on trying to stand while getting ready for dinner.

good day all around

It's the Devil, right?

2007-09-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

It offers you all the information, all the time. Whispering in your ear night and day. Everything, everything for you. And all it wants is all your time. All it wants is your soul.

Maybe I shouldn't maintain four blogs of questionable intensity, including actually two-and-a-half myspace accounts.

Plus there's Video Sewer, my column for Cinema-Crazed and DVDtalk.com

Never mind reading all-a y'all's stuff. It's the end of life.

Anyway, we spent the long Labor Day weekend on the coast for the annual Barrett family get together. I so love that family, and am truly honored to both be a member and really feel like I belong.

Frances had a hard time sleeping away from home, which gave me a great idea for a screenplay. We did the usual tons of eating, I drank plenty of beer and read a bunch of comic books. Frances had lots of fun with her cousins, and S, F and I managed to never actually set foot on sand! Not that it was a problem.

I may have taken some pictures, which I'll post later.

For now, enjoy this too large picture of our glamour gal!

thanks MAM

2007-08-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

Probably not too hard to do, but by question six, it was easy to call ...

You're Ulysses!

by James Joyce

Most people are convinced that you don't make any sense, but compared
to what else you could say, what you're saying now makes tons of sense. What people do
understand about you is your vulgarity, which has convinced people that you are at once
brilliant and repugnant. Meanwhile you are content to wander around aimlessly, taking in
the sights and sounds of the city. What you see is vast, almost limitless, and brings you
additional fame. When no one is looking, you dream of being a Greek folk hero.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

clamorin'

2007-08-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

So y'all bin clamorin' for me to post them pitchers, but I been too busy reading OPBs to update my own. Plus I guess I'm one o them old fashioned luddites (oxymoron) that thinks ' I gots me a few memories, why I need all that e-documentation that I never got as a kid'
or something

but here they are all two that I have on my desktop. Pic one is F-dog in her swimsuit at grandma JoAnn's house:
Pic two is F-dog on her new super cruise covrette convertable. I think we're-a tear up some pavement later this afternoon ...

Res Ipsa freakin Loquitor

PS since this my first blogger post w/ pictures i done f-ed up the formatting ...

2007-07-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

Hey Hey! (voice of Krusty the clown) The heat is back! Err, yippee?

Anyway, our tri-city friends are leaving Laguna Beach for Brooklyn which is great for them (career-wise) but won't change how much we see them really, so I guess it's OK. They are keeping their P-town home as a rental and had a big garage sale where we spent the best dollar of our lives on a little sports car scooter type thing that Frances Loves. Like get up in the morning and look for it and start flapping her arms kind of love.

I'm way lazier than all you other bloggers, though so I won't be posting piccies any time soon.

OK, maybe sometime soon, but not now ...

Like The Gauge ...

2007-07-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

I find it so easy to obsess over why my family's life isn't like other families lives, even though I know, I know: Comparisons are odious, for there is always someone in a better or worse position than you are in. But it's a good reality check, because the only thing one truly has is one's own attitude, be it positive or negative. I suspect the positive one is best. Working on that.

I, too find myself feeling incredibly fortunate to have the wonderful wife I share my life with (hell, she puts up with me) the sweet thing known as Frances (dang!) and a pretty comfortable life. Nothing to complain about.

I have my sights set on a number of things that often seem unattainable, but I must keep trying.

Meanwhile, Frances keeps trying, too, and with our help and encouragement will keep hitting her marks. It's been a pretty cool week despite the heat. The little miss has started mashing food down with a fork or spoon and struggling to put it in her mouth. Yeay! She has also started drinking water from a sippy cup (and would use a regular one if we let her).

She's getting lots of 'cruising' workouts (dislike that term, but evs!) and also walkie practice w/ mom, dad, nonnie and poppie.

Strangely, many of her leaps in motor skills etc. have come when her grammy JoAnne is over for brief lunchtime visits. Must want to impress the 'funny' grandma or something.

F-dog also got to meet the Thunder from almost down under, Lucy, straight outta 'Nam (sorry guys, I gots to keep the read amusing) and I know they will be great friends.

Despite the scheduled cage matches.

On a sad note, F-dog fell out of bed last night and bumped her head. We didn't call the doctor, but know what he would have said. We hear that every baby gets dropped on her or his head as an infant at least once. We wonder if the world wouldn't be a hell of a lot better if this wasn't the case. The Lord works in mysterious ways, I suppose.

Also, we are THIS CLOSE to being able to move upstairs, right on my four-months-way-too-late schedule. Yippee!

Unfortunately, this means I have had songs by The Eagles bouncing through my nogging non-stop.

You know how it goes ...

Stay-at-home crack

2007-07-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

You'll see this at Fred Meyer, you stay-at-home Portlanders. Glassy-eyed moms, mostly, kids in the cart, slowly rotating around the stands of discount DVDs. Searching, glazed and uncaring, for a little video treat to add some escapist entertainment meaning to their oddly over/under-loaded lives. Hoping, vainly, that something other than T2 for $7.99 will jump up. But it never does. And three for $9.99? When the best choice in that bunch is Annie The Movie, you're better off watching Big Brother 8.

If your spouse will let you.

Mamma needs a little sumpin' sumpin' to make another trip to the zoo, park, store, mall, play-group meaningful. Raising a kid has more meaning than mamma will ever comprehend. Until the kid grows up to resent mamma. Why wasn't pushing cars around on the floor in sweltering heat more fun and less emotionally incestuous?

I love ya, kid.

You'll never know until you have your own.

Pre-soccer trend-setter

2007-06-29T14:34:00.001-07:00

Well, I still haven't confirmed my membership w/ the vancouver dads. all this pressure to start my own group. I guess if Matthew and I form the core we got as much juice as those 2 vancouver dads. but i want more. more!

I think I'll be the trend-setter and start a pre-soccer, league, which would be like tee-ball for kids too young to play real soccer. the kids would get a point every time they actually kick the ball ...

Like you care ...

2007-06-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

Still haven't joined Vancouver Dad's meetup yet (dear lord that sounds pathetic) but will do so after posting. Morning in the park by adidas was spent with four moms and 3 -4-year-old girls. Cute, but ... well ...

Just not feeling it hanging out with the pre-soccer moms. All their husbands are designers or administrators at one of the shoe companies. making bank. respected. talking with adults all day.

Anyway, we put up the little Eddie Bauer sunshade in the minivan today.

Go down and get some berries at the farmer's market after nap ...

Gotta take the plunge I guess

2007-06-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

Getting F-dog out and around other kids is forcing me to address all sorts of personal issues. Thanks, kid! Anyway, in addition to still having no concrete idea as to what to do with my life I'm being forced into facing my inability to be social or network (this sentence will stop being strangled ... now).

I believe I'm about to join a meetup group, the Vancouver Stay-At-Home-Dads group, with two active members currently. More driving than I'd like I'm sure, but probably no more than twice-a-month, but I am definitely eager to talk with others in my position, and it don't seem like there are many.

Of course now I'm all concerned as to where I am in the social strata with these other guys, why can't my kid walk and talk yet etc. etc.

must ... suck ... it ... up ...

2007-06-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

Mostly I seem to know how to retain a seething anger for a long time. communication problems really bug me and I don't know how to resolve them. Must just try to let go of all ego ...

Also need to get over the 'having too much to do' thing. I've been really hoping finishing the upstairs will 'bring back my smile' but there will be something else to get done that will instantly replace it. Nothing with the same level of urgency, other than when I start a project I always want to finish with alacrity ... maybe I can foolishly tackle the downstairs bath, which is the last major thing that needs to be done to bring this house out of 1974 ...

that and painting the main floor, and rehabbing the basement. oh, and there's the fence and parking strip, and having some stucco repair done. Maybe get (at least) new storm windows, replace the roof on the garage, have the wiring redone on the main floor.

I think that's it ....

Goin' Thompson style ...

2007-05-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

some of the bad signs: made manwich brand sloppy joes
currently trying to win three different radio contests,
also programmed Radio Disney on the AM dial (bad idea).

iron levels and lead levels normal in F-dog's blood. Time to demolish more and start banging on asbestos. Makes me think of the Meat Beat Manifesto song Lead Asbestos ... good tune if you like that sort of thing.

Am watching American Idol while blogging. My typing has gotten pretty good.

This strange guy (one of the other blogs I follow) is goin' off deep end. Claims to be under surveillance, receiving threats on life, is calling Feds and doesn't care who goes to jail. In addition he doesn't care about 'misinterpereting vague statements; that's what jail is for.'

I hope he gets help sorting his stuff out, though it makes for an invigorating read.

No help for me either. Carpet going in Tuesday so must finish everything upstairs before then.

Also am sick of Art Scene here in Portland and any other thing that smacks of effort beyond being respectable, raising the kid and making a living ...

Where's my Kiss The Chef apron?

Gotta watch Crimes of Passion by Ken Russell again.

Me and my buddy Andy watched that movie repeatedly in High School.

I know it sounds bad.

Also, go to www.videosewer.com to read my reviews.

well crikey

2007-05-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

S-dog is going back to work from sabbatical and the family fun will go back to normal levels. Despite the elevated levels of bickering attendant, it has been really nice. will work hard to figure out a way that we can have more non-working time to share, or that I get some spiffing career and she can stay home for a while.

Last-minute fun included F-dog's first trip to the zoo, where we got a year long membership, so that will be fun for some time. Frances is old enough now that she got a kick out of seeing all the new, soon-to-be-extinct creatures, and will only enjoy them more on future visits. Def looking forward to going there with her, Mad-dog Haggett and l'il Lulu.

On a more stupid and bloggerly note, have been semi-hurrying to finish upstairs remodeling, and spend most of that time listening to Since I Left You by The Avalanches on the iPod. What a phenomenal album for sample-based dance music fans. On the lines of MBV's Loveless, in that there will likely never be another album like it, and probably never another from that group. It's like they decided to put an entire career's-worth of effort into one record. More ideas in one song than on many entire albums. Hard to listen to anything else after it. A true musical journey. Yeah, whateva ...

2007-04-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

Feel ... odd compulsion ... to update, though no passion ...
Sent ladies packing for three marathon days of work on upstairs renovation. got decent amount done and brought home back to condition of only semi-toxicity. Hopefully baby will begin to grow brain again.
happy to have them back.
listened to a lot of KGON while working. Dismayed by the depth of their playlist (even though it was a side-trip weekend, so heard a few songs usually not played). Heard side two of Dark Side of the Moon, (great album) side one of Momentary Lapse of Reason, (terrible album, talk about diminishing returns) and both sides of Sgt. Pepper. In addition to many other Floyd and Beatles tunes. But on the regular, and in addition to the two aforementioned, KGON plays these groups ad nauseum: Van Halen, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Boston, Rolling Stones and Billy Squier (!)

So now I always have a Billy Squier song in my head.

Yay!

Originally wanted upstairs to be done and occupied by March 26th. New estimate is mid-July.

2007-03-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

I know it's old news, but who would think it's possible to become addicted to such a passive activity as web-surfing? I mean, whaa? As far as blogs go, shuh, who wouldn't enjoy obsessively reading other people's diaries, but since those diaries are written FOR OTHER PEOPLE, it should be a lot less compelling.

Oh well, if the baby ever falls asleep (and the cats stop howling) we'll get to start a crap-fest of mammoth proportions, viewing both the nick cage Wicker Man and The Holiday with Jack Black and Cameron Diaz. Wha?

wastin all my time

2007-03-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

It's hard to fight this bug, and I'm not talking about the cold. I'm talking about how whenever FGD goes down for her nap, if I'm not napping with her, I'm churning through the net. It SUUUUX.

There's so much I should be doing but if not totally pressed, I'll opt to just go bleary-eyed looking at the web.

Somebody, help me motivate!

baby sick

2007-03-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

SNOT

who you gonna call?

2007-03-18T16:47:00.000-07:00

it's been a weird week:
F keeps messing with her nap times. It's hard to get her down and harder to know how to deal with a baby who doesn't want to nap ....
She's been messing with her feedings, too. Sometimes taking little solid foods, at other times stonewalling the bottle. I know she's still growing and isn't dangerously undernourished or anything, but I'd like her to be more robust. I'd like her to be more interested in feeding herself, as well.

It's weird because two months in our time is a lot but nowhere near as significant as it is in infant development time. "what? she's eleven months and not feeding herself yet? something must be wrong!" maybe six weeks later she is feeding herself though? But only if we do the right things to get her there (?) ...

I realized this week also that we are dangerously alone right now and need to get out and find other babies etc. It was great for a while, two or three naps a day and an errand and you're pretty much all booked up. Easy to avoid being social or putting in the work, as I am wont to do.

But now ...

Anyway, went to a neighborhood mom's group potluck and learned about a twice monthly get-together and met another SAHD who does tons of stuff and seemed really friendly, so there is hope, if only I can reach out more and not be too weird about where F is at developmentally.

Of course one of the dads who I wanted to spend kid-time with from the gallery has gone MIA to my requests for a play date.

Oddly enough the gallery website www.gallery114.org has also gone MIA.

Apathy and inaction will eat you alive.

Here's to a fresh start at a new week!

last words

2007-03-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

i so know that I am dooming myself to say this.
i am going to try to update regularly!
and i am going to attempt to exorcise demons here, so if you don't want to see the depths of self-pity one can reach, then stay away. on the other hand, if you are reading, who are you?

mostly I'll blog about being a stay-at-home dad. a guy with almost zero worthwhile work experience, and no idea what he wants to do except being a 'failed artist'

yipeee, here we go!

I still like Livejournal best!

2006-10-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

I s'pose I oughter update this'n here blog oncet in a while, so here it is. Let's just say though, that I really like ALL of the features of Livejournal much better (and you should check it out). Maybe LJ is more for readers than writers, I dunno. Anyway, I am so f-ing sick of remodeling that I'm ready to move into a section 8 motel. One room, a television and a pile of beer bottles.

But seriously, I'll be super happy when this place is ship-shape (working on the upstairs currently) though I wish I were a real craftsman instead of some shlub slowly doing all the grunt work. Also, it is glorious FALL in the Pac NW (the best goddamn season/ locality combo in the world) and it makes raking leaves an ecstatic experience.

Frances Grace is full-on into adorable cuddle mode and I can hardly stand how much I love her right now.

That said, the wife and I still have our moments (of love and hate) but I guess that's what happens as you grow up.

Not sure what the F I'm doing artistically, or why even bother. The co-op thing is a crock of S, since we seem to have a particularly no-account group of members right now. Is artistic freedom worth it when you have to spend all your energy just keeping the S-hole gallery up and running properly?

Where are the patrons and adulation I envisioned?

The dope on the dope

2006-02-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

Forced myself to go out and do some mini-schmoozing for first thursday last week. Anyone who cares knows first thursday is a pyramid-scheme-scam, but it has its upside. Of course it's all about seeing and being seen and saying hello and generating sincere small-talk with the right people, and if you don't do this you won't succeed as an artist or buyer. Fine, that's the American Way.
So I made the right connections with 4 people (including one actual friend) and avoided the right person (note to self: stop creating enemies).
One of the biggest smooth-schmoozing disingenous slicksters (read: someone who will be successful in the Art World) even mentioned to me the next day that he didn't know what was hanging on the walls in the one gallery I saw him in. Sweet! Another dude trash-talked the organization that was hosting my last show.

Finally, in an effort to escape a certain gallery before running into The Enemy, I had my friend get the gallerist let me out the back door.

I then proceeded to trash-talk about The Enemy to the gallerist, even though The Enemy is represented by said gallerist. Said gallerist even admited that The Enemy is 'a handful,' and he wasn't just talking about The Enemy's ass (nyuk nyuk).

So OK, now I've ruined any chances of getting anywhere in life.

Yeay!

2006-01-20T16:59:00.000-08:00

It's weird to bounce between blogs, but I do. Part of why I'm so tired? Anyway, last night our cat Pedro started lowering his ears to look like Yoda. While my wife thought it was Pedro's way of trying to communicate with her, I thought something might be wrong. This morning when he was still in Yoda mode and only ate half his breakfast we decided to take him in to the vet. Thus I skipped out of SMART reading and work. The vet couldn't tell us much except it could be behavioral, could be some unknown illness serious or not. So we're just going to keep an eye on him.

I ended up sleeping the entire afternoon after the vet. Feelin' guilty and lazy. Oh well, I haven't yet produced an ulcer so something must be OK ...

2006-01-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

I'm having troubles at work wherein one of my co-workers will say something to me and I'll respond, and then maybe add something to my response, but when I'm in the adding portion of things they will talk over me to someone else, as if I were no longer there. I guess I'm just not interesting enough, or something. You see, I work in an office with all women, and am a social minority and outcast, really. Thing is, they don't realize this, or care.

Oh well.

Jesus is here mudding and taping our kitchen. I'm about to start cleaning the cat boxes.

Brought my work to the Aalto lounge today where Katherine and Scott started hanging it.
I'm excited to see how it looks, it's the first of my shows that I haven't hung myself!

2006-01-02T16:47:00.000-08:00

I swung my way into showing at the Aalto by way of Disjecta, which is pretty nice, so after finishing up with the sheetrock and patching a bit of the floor, I went to art world.
Trying to scare up enough (old) pieces to hang, figuring wine-bar appropriate pricing, new bio etc. and now I'm going to try chiseling the supports on a couple pieces so they hang closer to the wall.

I'm avoiding doing finances for 114 and it's giving me a stomach ache. Plus the guy who is going to mud and tape our sheetrock monstrosity is coming over in ten minutes to work through the night (or probably 'til 9? 10?) any way it's going to be weird.

Gee, blogging is fun!

2006-01-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

NYE - I like the idea of the NYE post, you get to compare your social life at its most conspicuous with others on the web. whoopee! I have one friend who watched DVDs alone, one who got drunk and danced with one of the many unatainable women for whom he keeps pining, and one friend who spent the night with me watching crap like Fantastic Four (actually not too bad) and Pretty Persuasion (not too bad either). My NYD fantasy plans of sitting on the couch drinking beer and watching football and The Devil's Rejects disappeared in a cloud of gypsum dust. But the sheetrocking in our kitchen is almost done. Almost!

OUT

The way I see it.

2006-01-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

The way I see it, someday all these hard-drives gotta fill up, and then the fun begins! So here I am in cyberspace again, just so I can post comments at this blog P E N G U I N D E V I L !