Into the Fog

I took this on my way back from Sarnia this past time. Sometimes life is like that...you don't know exactly what is in store for you right around the corner. But, that is what makes life exciting, right?

I want to live my life the way I want to and to be brave. I want to stride toward the fog with the hope that everything will work out just fine, and life will be even more beautiful than ever.

I don't have to be afraid, and I don't have to live my life based on the experiences of others. This is my life. These are my choices. Whether they are right or wrong, they are mine.

The end.

Scooby Snacks VS Velociraptors.

Scooby Snacks VS Velociraptors.

This is the rating system that I have chosen for my blog. Why? It is pure nonsense. I mean, not that I do not care what you have to say. I do. I have people weigh in on what I do every single day. Everybody is an expert when it comes to visual design. People have opinions. They know what they like. I am fine with that. Subjective. Objective. No matter. Bring it.

To me Velociraptors are not a good thing. They will gang up on you. They are cold and calculated. They want to eat you. It's true. Or, it would be true if some dumb ass geneticist decided to bring them back and found a way to do it. But, since it is a fantasy, you may find velociraptors to be kick ass. I completely understand. I want to have one on a T-shirt with the latest quip. Why not?

Scooby Snacks to me, are fantastic. I love them. They are what makes me happy. They may not make you happy, though. And that is okay. I think we can agree to disagree and still get along.

So, if you want to rate, just pick your favorite or least favorite item on the list. Scooby Snacks, or Velociraptors.

Artwork: This is called Jungle Lizard. It was the closest thing I had to a velociraptor. The original art is gone. I sent original work off to a postcard show near Chicago and never got it back. AND I did not even get into the show. Grrrr.

Wondering

I shot the photo above at at restaurant that leaves all of the hot sauces out on the counter for you to take to the table. I tend to always grab the one with the safety wrapper on the bottle. This one had it, but was still low on the hot sauce. And I could remove the lid without tearing the safety wrapper. So, that left me wondering if I should use it. Even though the other bottles on the counter were opened, and I have used opened bottles before...because that is what you do...it is what they are there for. But, this was weird, so I did not use it. Because it had the safety wrapper, I wondered more if it was safe, or if it was a trap.
Paranoia cha cha cha.

Gaia and Mother Earth and Awesome People

Well, I am totally high right now (On life, silly. That's right: Life Cereal.), so 'tis a great time to write in me blog. I had a good week, even though someone was missing from it...just for now though...

The painting above is called Gaia: Forgive My Weakness. It is about Mother Earth and her fragility. Although, would she be so fragile on her own?

I know some men who emphatically say that they are awesome. I often find that I think they are awesome, too. Although their lack of humility might tend to turn me off, since they are charming and talented, I tend to eventually agree with their self-assessment. Then I find myself telling them they are awesome, thereby perpetuating their self-myth...well, I guess it is not really a "self"-myth if others think it is true, but you know what I mean...their persona....What was I saying? Wait, where the fuck am I? ........

Wake Up

You've got a right to be wrong,
If it is wrong to be right.

The moon is breaking apart,
The world is ending.


Wake up.














Ride the highway west.

Photos: Taken with my iPhone and then altered with Shake It.

Romantically Apocalyptic

Wondering if I should work this into my artist statement or bio today...

I am an extraordinary zombie who finds happiness mundane and is romantically apocalyptic. I also enjoy long walks on the beach in hopes for a tsunami, collecting geodes with traces of Carbon 14, and growing tropical plants only to have them wither away in my too-dry atmosphere, subsequently enjoying and tracking their demise.

Oh I am kidding. Not feeling that tragic.

I have captured my birth chart in all of its glory. Of course this means nothing to most people. I am studying astrology again, which is a dead art, since the universe is constantly evolving.

Don't Call Him Tiger, Let's Call Him Cheetah!

It's just funny.

Photo: This is from somewhere on the net. The meaning is that there are two sides to everything...two sides to every coin. If you remove good and evil from the equation, there are only choices...heads or tails. The rabbit or the duck.

Expotential Growth ... in 28 Days

1
2
4
8
16
32
64
128
256
512
1,024
2,048
4,096
8,192
16,384
32,768
65,536
131,072
262,144
524,288
1,048,576
2,097,152
4,194,304
8,388,608
16,777,216
33,554,432
67,108,864
134,217,728
268,435,456

If you wonder why it is a big deal...

Fugue Attack

I use to have this friend who insisted that one day I would have a massive fugue attack and then end up in the Florida Keys as a professional alligator wrestler. I must say that some days I think this is not beyond the realm of possibility. Although, I may wrestle crocodiles instead. Or kittens.

The Best Laid Plans...

For all of the good planning and willingness to make a perfect product, shit happens. Human error. Man interacting with his environment and having to succumb to its hapless whims.
Did the man see the leaf and think, "you know, I can only do so much"? Or was he in a hurry and just did not care? Or did it blow in at the last moment and he was completely unaware? Or, my favorite choice, did he just let it happen because he knew the results would yield a perfect outline of a leaf that will live on until the next painter comes along? A little piece of chaos.

Like a Duck

Actually a goose...went to gallery hop tonight. It was around the time that the sidewalks were overly crowded with people. If you know me then you know crowds are not my thing. So, I started to walk in the street at times. Which reminded me of all the Canadian geese at work, who, incidentally, cause me to hop-scotch along the sidewalks because of their piles of green excrement. But I digress. As we were walking to Caribou the other day we walked up on about 30 geese. They all took off moving exceptionally fast in fear of us, which surprised me. Off to the pond, they went, to eat more fish and grass so they would have ammunition for my shoes and give me reason to skip. So, off to feed our caffeine addictions we went. On the way back we saw the same gaggle of geese sloooooowly walking across the street in front of a car. So, my point, just in case you missed it, is I would rather take my chances with a 2 ton vehicle in the street that could mow me down than with a bunch of unruly humans on the sidewalk.

Evil Monkey

(The following text was lifted from iVillage.)

The spunky Monkey is the original party animal! Charming and energetic, Monkeys crave fun, activity and stimulation. They truly know how to have a good time and can often be seen swinging from one group of friends to another, attracting a motley crew in the process. Always upbeat, they are considered minor celebrities in their circle thanks to their sparkling wit and that rapier-sharp mind. Perhaps surprisingly, Monkeys are also good listeners and tackle complicated situations with ease. This Sign's natural curiosity lends it the desire to become knowledgeable on a broad range of topics. Monkeys have a show-off side that loves nothing more than to dazzle their pals with all they know.

The Monkey tends to be rather accident-prone due to a certain lack of very high morals. This Sign's first interest is pursuing its own pleasure; this is not a malicious interest, it's just the way the Monkey is. However, this kind of carefree self-involvement can lead to all kinds of scrapes. In love, the Monkey makes a fun, exciting lover -- but one that may have the potential to stray romantically. The good news is, the Monkey’s glib manner and witty repartee can often get this Sign out of a scrape. Perhaps not everyone will be won over by the Monkey -- but do you think the Monkey really cares? The Monkey's world, full of devil-may-care energy and revelry, isn't for everyone. Remember, though, it's not that this Sign is mean; it might just be a bit too curious for its own good. Monkeys often feel the need to try everything at least once, which can make for a merry-go-round of relationships.

The Monkey's love of self-indulgence can also lead to other types of trouble. This Sign may have limited self-control concerning food, alcohol and other pleasurable activities. It's party time all the time for the Monkey, yet when it leads to a monster hangover or a shattered heart (generally someone else's, not theirs), this Sign might actually show a touch of remorse. They won't flat-out admit the error of their ways, but at least they'll pull back and try to tone things down -- for a while.

Monkeys must try to learn to think of others ahead of themselves, at least some of the time. This Sign's world will be more complete once it realizes the world doesn't revolve around it.

Existence

So, a couple weeks ago I alluded to a conversation I had with James and Phil. They had posed a question, or a conundrum, that was basically as follows:

If you made an exact replica of yourself with DNA, as well as an exact imprint of your memories and knowledge, and essentially everything that makes you you up until that moment, where does your soul reside after that moment? In you, or in your duplicate, or in both?
And then in the next second the first version was killed, would you die or live on?

We pretty much determined that your soul, or your existence would remain in the original vessel. So, you-as-you-know-it would die. The duplicate of you would then become it's own entity and would not actually have your soul.

I dunno...it is trippy to think about.

Note: By the way, the wormhole time travel flow chart really has nothing to do with this quandasity. And, just so you know, "quandasity" is a made up word.

Avoidance Behavior

One of my coworkers from the near-distant past coined a term for one of my traits. Right now I am practicing it. Avoidance Behavior.

Point A: I need to do my taxes.
Point B: I want to create something.



The Result: Fuck it. I'll just take naps, surf the Internetz, and blog.

P.S. My life needs more cowbell.

Things to Live By

I have a headache...too much shit in my head maybe... I discovered this one this morning: Never ever ever fall asleep while an infommercial is running about weight loss. All I did was transfer the sounds to some weird, distorted infommercial dream that filled me with weight-loss anxiety. I mean, I have lost almost 50 pounds...what do I want from me????

Seriously though, the most effective self help book I have ever read (aside from OSHO) has been The Four Agreements. The four agreements is not a secret. They are on the internet (I have listed them below) and they are in the cover of the book.

The Four Agreements
"Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives and our work into a new experience of effectiveness, balance and self supporting behavior.

Everything we do is based on agreements we have made. In these agreements we tell ourselves who we are, what everyone else is, how to act, what is possible and what is impossible. What we have agreed to believe creates what we experience. When these agreements come from fear obstacles develop keeping us from realizing our greatest potential."

BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD
"Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love."

DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY
"Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering."

DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS
"Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life."

ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST
"Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse, and regret."

Information listed on this blog came from here.
You can find the book here.