The Final Week Before Oahu, First Linocut and Tom Waits

I'll try to post pictures in order of the blog post title but I have a hell of a time figuring out how the photos fall into blogger, ack, especially with this "new look". So last one is first and vice-versa. Right, ok so counting the days until we head off to Oahu, there's 6 you know, counting today and counting Saturday May 5th when we venture to AT&T Park so see our Gigantes beat the Brewers. Trying not to sabotage all my hard work at the gym and in the kitchen with unhealthy eats. So far so good, but that means only 1 beer (if that) at the ballpark.

Homemade salad for lunch accompanied by Neil Gaiman's Graveyard Book. Enjoying it all very much, especially the sunflower seeds and bell peppers, NOM! I have to truly watch what I eat this week as working out will be compromised for 3 days. I go to lunch with Serene on Thursday so the thing I have to secure is that there will be salads on the menu.

This is a shot of my first linocut, it is FAAAR from perfect as I'm having a devil of a time getting the white lines clean and crisp; just not a carver, you know? There is a different version at the studio that I will post if it's still there when I get back from vacation, which I'm sure it will be. I have the monoprint I did and I LOVE it, not so much anyone else but I really don't care. It pleases me to no end and I will more likely than not, frame it!

Charli and I had a texting marathon last night regarding Tom Waits. Turns out Tom's wife, Kathleen, is Charli's client and so their phone number and home address are known to her. KC has already put in a very urgent request to Charli about jamming with Tom. I hope we're invited!!

There is an issue with the paper in the suite and I tell you it never ends. People state that they buy their own paper and thus refuse or are very hesitant to contribute paper for “community use.” So today I had to sort of put my foot down and send one person back to their PI for paper. It can’t swing both ways for these people, they can’t buy their own paper and then turn around and use the pool paper. It’s ridiculous that I have to monitor paper usage but until the chief puts his foot down and let’s everyone know that buying paper for specific projects is over and done with, I’ll have to be the paper natzi. I tell ya, it is so annoying. I don’t think the chief is going to do anything soon he’s sick and being pulled in a dozen different directions, ever since I read about the diagnosis it’s been a bit freaky. Freaky too with J’s diagnosis, which I never read and never asked C about it, wonder when that’s going to hit the proverbial fan. Oh, please let us get funded so everyone can exhale and just relax a bit.

Ain't posted nothin'

...and it's fine. It's not about lack of time this time, I think it's closer to an evasive motivation. At any rate it really doesn't matter because I always go back to Marty's lyric of "time is imaginary". That's my cop out. Deal.
Here's another gorgeous picture of one of the most gorgeous places on earth, a place that I ask the universe to grant to me and R as our retirement home. I'm asking, universe, can you hear me?
Starting to do the Spanish thing at Kilbey's site again, not sure how long that will last. We've passed the midpoint in art class, I've done intaglio etching, aquatint, chine collier, roll up, learned about soft and hard ground, different papers, etc...next on the block is linocut, we're not using wood, which is a good thing, rather a softer material which name escapes me. The technique is very similar to making a rubber stamp; I've the image already copied onto the plate and I bought the linocut set yesterday for $14, Detwiler says it's worth it, we'll see. The class has been fun, but intaglio etching is just not my cuppa art and although I've had a great time and learned more than I've wanted to know about this technique at the end of term I will say good-bye to the world of etching plates, mono inks and massive print making presses. I've given away two of my sweepia prints and plan to make more.

Sweepia, 2012