The Last Sunday of 2008

Here I sit again, but this time its the last Sunday of 2008.

Its a cold morning and it is 9:30 AM central. I am having a bowl of fruit with granola to get ready for the task of replacing a 32x33 window pane that Sebastian busted. I have finished processing and adding the images of Ix Chel (Mayan goddess of the Moon).

They are now online at Studio Gonzo. Just go to the gallery and click on the Ix Chel image. I have added some new features to the site, first - the viewer tilts around, second - you can select an image to enlarge it, third - clicking the semi-circle arrow flips the image, so you can view the text that has been entered. Which contain my thoughts, a short bio of the model, hair & make-up artist, as well as one of the two clothing designers.

So, have a great New Year, be safe, healthy, smart and creative. But most of all keep on dancing.

A Week Later

Week in review;

1. Is busting up wine bottles to fuse and slump for Christmas gifts.
2. Became friends with Tim Stokes.
3. Commented on Kim Smith's photo.
4. Uploaded new videos to facebook.
5. Got up earlier than normal for a wonderful day ahead.
6. Done what he does, when and where he does!
7. Thought about having something sweet to eat.
8. Looked out the window at the cars going by with a cup of caffeinated cocoa.
9. Spent a long commute in bumper to bumper traffic, and a close call with the iceman.
10. Wondered how you select a shoe to throw? Do you buy them over-sized for easy slip&throw, how much should you spend, carry a spare pair?

And last, but not least wondered why rye grass doesn't taste anything like rye bread?

Some may think my thoughts, and perhaps my life, are folie. But I say, at least I have great memories and can brag about living life as George Carlin would have liked.

Does it ever get better?

As I sit watching the program Sunday Morning I am thinking about, why I do what I do when I do?

Not really, this is more about life and if it ever gets better. Do I want to continue as a systems engineer or take a road with less pay to do what I really want to do? But there is a long list, to be creative, to teach, to pursue a photography career, to run away and start a new life (ok scratch this one off) or perhaps truck driving or clown school.

As I sip my coffee and review my options, I am reminded of the list of to-do items to finish. The half bath needs a sink, the walls completed and the toilet replaced. My back yard needs the leaves raked and I need to produce wood ash for the next shoot. The front yard is not complete and I am not sure I like the abomination I have created (looks good from the top, but not from the street), lacks harmony.

The wood floors need to be refinished, the kitchen is still incomplete, but I want to go outside to break glass and make more platters. My dog Chucho needs more attention, but Sebastian deserves more of my time. I want to exercise more, and care for my health,but it is difficult to get back into the regiment.

Perhaps, I am already living my life to the fullest and I just have not seen the fruits of its labor. I should make a list, start with sell the house, pay off debt, and buy a studio (large 5000 to 10,000 sq.ft). To live, create, and work. Do what I like, watching movies, reading, playing video games with Sebastian and cooking. Wait I forgot to add sex, I really do need a list.

What's Next?

Well, I have received my Master of Fine Arts’ Art & Technology” graduate degree.

Someone asked, “What’s next?” My reply was facetious “I want to travel the US and see America, so I am going to truck driving school.” I found this to be an interesting question. I decided to elaborate my observations and yes it may come off a bit biased since I have recently taken an interest to Mihai Nadin’s “The Civilization of Illiteracy.”
While not wanting to insult the intelligence of those who risk the hazards of the road to bring us needed materials and sustenance for our consuming pleasures. I do want to point out the fact that we have become a nation of illiterates. Now I know that no one likes or wants to be considered an illiterate, but in this case you must consider the following.
What are you going to do now (if psychoanalyzed) probably translates into, what are you going to do to make money? Should we be so obsessed with money? Sure we need it to survive and maintain our existence. After all, we get put on the street if we don’t pay our rent, our utilities get cut off, or you can die from the lack of medical attention. But where is the positive enforcement to continue being a scholar? After all a job is the by-product of an education not vice versa. If you are seeking a job in a particular field you attend vocational training.
To quote Dr. Mihai Nadin “the listing of symptoms: the decrease in functional literacy; a general degradation of writing skills and reading comprehension; an alarming increase of packaged language (clichés used in speeches, canned messages); and general tendency to substitute visual media (especially television and video) for written language.” I don’t think anyone really understands the necessary character in the decline of literacy, but there will be life after.
Here is a prime example of my own difficulty with written language. It has taken me an hour to organize my thoughts (while watching a cooking show on KERA) to complete this simple expression of observations to the question “what are you going to do now?”