morning stream of consciousness (in both words and pictures)

This morning with coffee, scarf and leather gloves, moving in same direction to same destination…

I felt as if I was going to cry.  You know the sensation. Your stomach is suddenly in your throat.

I traced my thoughts …

“What should I post on my blog?”

“Was that puke on the sidewalk?”

“I want to write about that person, no too dangerous too much drama”

“These jeans feel tight”

“I wish I wasn’t insecure”

“Was that a drug deal?”

The thoughts went on.  I thought about why I started blogging.

I quit my job.  Good decision.  Job was hell. Life has improved tremendously. I am broke. I started fostering teeny tiny motherless kittens.  Lots of poop and lots of wildly tender kitten love.

I started drawing.  My husband encouraged me to draw.  He encouraged me to blog.  Number one fan.

I thought bloggers were weird.  Desperate for attention.  Embarrassed to join the order of the publicly needy,  I searched for bloggers possessing a restraint against utter self-indulgence.  They weren’t hard to find. I even found blogs I indentified with. Shocking.

http://lolaisbeauty.blogspot.com/, http://cheramibird.blogspot.com/, http://www.smosch.com/, http://scout-holiday.com/blog/, http://campcomfort.blogspot.com/, http://kindraishere.blogspot.com/, etc.

I thought about people.  My mom and her pirated inheritance.  She took what wasn’t hers to take and ran. Disappointing but expected.  She’s just doing what she’s always done.

And then, a thought I have quite often rethought itself. People are both incomprehensible and predictable.   The conversation with my husband last night, we talked about people that believe they’ve got all the answers to the biggest unknown questions about life.  Really?  Because nobody knows. I mean nobody really knows, right?  It gets personal when they think their answers should be mine (or ours).

I laughed when I pictured myself giving unsolicited advice.   Lecturing, pontificating, or “challenging” as some folks I know like to call it.

The thought was both gross and hysterically funny.

Me? I barely get life for me.   And I’ve been hanging with me for thirty years.

Self-righteous people make me itchy.

But I judge (superficially and morally).

I even take pleasure in predicting the next thing (certain) people are going to do or say.  I think a lot of people are boring.

So what’s the difference?  Does my judgment equal the weight of theirs?  Would we balance the scales?

My brain scrambling up thoughts about right vs. wrong,  finger pointing and blame.  Yuck.  I dislike the finger pointing game.  It’s endless. A trap.

I stood waiting for the light to turn.

Nothing new entering my mind, nothing different walking home.

I unlocked the gate knowing I would continue to hangout with people who value what I value.  Originality, introspection, equality …. just in case you were wondering .

I will do what I love and hope others are choosing to do the same.

In the deepest most stable part of my heart.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

In Defense of Defenseless Emos

Ok, so making fun of emos has gotten popular these days.  Let’s face it, emos are easy targets and they are pretty much harmless.  After all, they are self-loathing and lazy.  Seriously, how much work does it take to put on a little eyeliner? Now goths and punks on the other hand show true commitment to their exterior statement. But emos?

Indulge me for a moment… but what’s with the reigning king of emo?  He seems like a poser to me.  I mean he married Ashlee Simpson and is fathering her child.   Isn’t her Dad a psycho Christian pervert from the South?  It would be one thing if they rebelled against old Joe Simpson but they don’t, he is still her manager. I just don’t get what is so alternative about Pete Wentz-Simpson?  I have to say it, the Fall Out Boy is not a rogue or eccentric pioneering musical influence or any shade of rebel. The dude was on the cover of Out Magazine with the headline “Yep, I am a fag” and later he said “it’s all because I know that I am going to get a reaction” and that he is sexually attracted to men but only from the waist up.  I don’t get it.  That doesn’t even make sense.  He just seems silly to me.  Is this what has happened to our rock icons? Remember Bowie?  Remember the Stones (pre-hab) or Michael Jackson (pre-Neverland)?

With all that being said I can actually relate to the emo world.  I mean I liked Sunny Day Real Estate and Shudder to Think.  Didn’t everyone like the first Jimmy Eat World song they heard?  And I’ve had my share of moody days.  I also have bangs and I wear black eyeliner.

In an effort to establish truce between myself and the emos of the world, I offer:

The EMO Career Guide : careers to consider as an alternative to starting your own band.

Inspired by Pete Wentz

CHAPTER ONE: Emo the Yodeler

CHAPTER TWO : Emo the Magician

CHAPTER THREE: Emo the Belly Dancer

CHAPTER FOUR: Emo the Bearded Snake Charmer

CHAPTER FIVE: Emo the Mime

CHAPTER SIX: Emo the Trapeze Artist

CHAPTER SEVEN: Emo the Figure Skater

CHAPTER EIGHT: Emo the Matador

CHAPTER NINE: Emo the Maestro

Synchronized Scientologists

Straight from Flag Land Base in Clearwater, California, The Church of Scientology announced the formation of their own synchronized swimming team.  They plan to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics which will be held in London, England. The paparazzi claim they’ve spotted Tom Cruise “courting” Michael Phelps over an expensive 12,000 calorie meal.  In response to the accusation, Tom (team captain of the Synchronized Scientology Swimming Team) responded, “Look, my wife knows I love her and she knows I would never cheat.  And besides, Olympic athletes are the type of fanatical geniuses perfect for Scientology.  They believe everything can be cured with physical exercise and vitamins.”

When asked if they plan to represent the United States of America, newest celebrity convert Will Smith stated, ” We support the United States of America but our alien souls belong to Galactic Confederacy, therefore we will be representing Galactic Confederacy.” Will Smith continued to thank Tom Cruise for suggesting he become a method actor.   He said, ” After all these years of starring as the hero in countless Science-Fiction alien movies, I finally believe what I am saying is true!”

Below is a picture taken at a recent team practice aboard the famous Scientology cruise ship Freewinds.

Clockwise, starting with the eleven o’clock hour Tom Cruise, at one o’clock Will Smith, three o’clock Lisa Marie Presley, five o’clock John Travolta, seven o’clock Jason Lee, and nine o’clock Juliette Lewis.

glam up for the season

Here are a few glamazons I sketched up to get you inspired for the fun gatherings ahead.

Weekly Awards

The illustration with a smirk award goes to: “The Boxing Champion Beef Brisket” illustrated by www.seikokato.com

My favorite look award goes to: “About A Boy” from http://childrenportfolio.blogspot.com/

and runner up in the my favorite look award goes to “Dos and Don’ts” from www.viceland.com

The tender as a kitten award goes to:  “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” blog post by http://libelinha-y.blogspot.com/

“Sometimes things smear in the time. One cannot say retrospectively no more, where and when something began or ended. Now and then, however one looks unprepared as a Kaleidoscope on one moment and knows with certainty (with Kopf& Heart) that in this second everything changed somehow exactly”.

The best European’s take on an American city photo series award goes to “New York City” by http://www.smosch.com/

The guilty pleasure award goes to : just about any article on http://thesuperficial.com/

Here is an example of the kind of addictive literary junk food that preys on my weakness of loving to laugh disgracefully at certain celebrities:

Weston Coppola Cage totally doesn’t need his last name to get chicks, no way

“Nicolas Cage posed for this family photo in Vienna, Austria today with his wife Alice Kim and son Weston Coppola Cage. Weston brought his girlfriend along who I really want to believe isn’t jockeying for that sweet Ghost Rider dough. Maybe she simply digs dudes who think dead fetuses make kickass necklaces. Who knows?”

OMG there are two of you award goes to: “Mormon Secret Hand Signals in the Temple” from http://xmo.lege.net/packham/temples.htm.  For the record, they really dress that way and they really have secret hand signals in the Mormon temples.

For the second week in a row …. the lay off the photoshop (but really what do you expect when you pose for the cover of Parade magazine) award goes to: 5 time Oscar nominated  Kate Winslet.

Seriously that doesn’t even look like her, right? Am I the only one creeped out by this photo?  I mean I expect this  weird frozen, botoxed, photoshop look from Vanna White but Kate Winslet?  Disappointing.

Speaking of Vanna White … the final award don’t change a thing about yourself goes to : Vanna White and Pat Sajak.

THEN

AND NOW

Hope Your Weekend Goes Swimmingly

Fellas Don’t Shave!

If you haven’t already shaved off your beard in an effort to clean yourself up for Thanksgiving, then don’t.   November is National Beard Month and it’s almost over.  I suggest we extend National Beard Month into December, for Santa’s sake.

Therefore, In honor of National Beard Month behold sketches of three men and a beard.

The Dreaded Pirate Spaghetti Beard

Wood Beard

Berrett and Beard

Chewing Bird and Swallowing Grape.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is a sneak peek at the Christmas cards I will be making and mailing to the family (add red border and nice font).

Inspired by Mrs. Rita Davis who,

amongst her pie baking talents,

is a beautiful & charming hostess extraordinaire,

a queen of quilt mastery,

a bargain bounty hunter,

a former hippie and current Democrat,

and most importantly,

she is a role model, friend and grandma-in-law to me.

She has a heart the size of the biggest thing you could ever imagine and she is right there with you, eye-to-eye, in a conversation.

I just love her! Hugs across the internet!

All I want for Christmas is a slice of RIta's pie.

Last year on Thanksgiving,

Sophie (picture below) and I

dressed up in Rita’s well-preserved prom dress and wedding dress.

We threw bouquets

while drinking wine and watching old family wedding videos.

We had so much fun.

I adore Sophie!

That is me pitching the bouquet while holding a glass of wine!

Sophie and I at the real deal.

Back to back with Sophie.

Reminds me of Persona...by Bergman

Happy digestion and drink ginger tea if you need a little help.

Last but never least, I am thankful for my truest love Jacob Davis.

To my daydream believer.

Safe Travels

Walking home from Four Barrels Coffee, I saw a man riding his bike looking very dapper.  But it was the mini flag of France flying from his handlebars that caught my attention.  The series of sketches below are inspired by the patriotic French man wearing shades and a sharp suit.

On your way to receive the bird (turkey not middle finger) please travel safely!

It’s cold my friends, so just chill!

I’ve read a few blogs lately discussing seasonal sadness disorder and the winter blues.  I just want to let you know that you can still be hot when its cold.

Here are some reasons why I enjoy the darker months of the year…

Red wine tastes better.

http://flickr.com/photos/12071800@N02/

The sound of the cello is an excellent compliment to the hazy chill of winter.

http://flickr.com/photos/sarrelibre/

Your bed becomes a warm blanket cave.

http://flickr.com/photos/hownowdesign/

The fashion isn’t so cheeky.

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

http://altamiranyc.blogspot.com

Everyone is baking.

www.foodandwine.com

I don’t have to shave my legs.

Candlelight makes life enchanting.

http://flickr.com/photos/zollo/

Hot coffee, hot tea, hot cocoa, hot espresso, hot cappuccino, hot cafe au laits, and hot lattes are best hot (and they make you feel hot).

http://stumptowncoffee.com

During the cold times, what’s better than warming up next to the fireplace?  How about nothing.

http://jacobdavisphotography.com/