August 2004

Andy Park Drawing

Check out a coloring I did over pencils by Andy Park. For those who have seen this before, this is a new and improved version.

Doubts

After my 12 hours yesterday and my 7 hours today the paper was still an hour late. I'm currently hating my job. If this kind of intensity and stress is just par for the course then I might just have to find myself another course.

Length Matters

Today I worked 12 hours, which doesn't include the hour I took for lunch. This job had so better get easier than this.

Timing

Today is a long day of intense deadline stress at my job. Today also happens to find me in an extremely bad mood. I only have one thing to say: pity my co-workers.

It's a Small World After All

I just discovered that Lincoln Brewster, an awesome worship leader/songwriter whom I have admired for years, was born in Fairbanks and grew up in Homer. He's a year older than I am so we must have been living in Homer at the same time.

Since the song clips on his site seem to be missing, check out WorshipMusic.com if you want to hear some of his stuff.

While I don't think I've heard much of his music in churches or on the radio, he has a passionate rock style that I think is amazing. I'm just blown away that he grew up in this humble town.

Addition: It turns out that my oldest brother knew Lincoln and remarked that he was an awesome guitarist. Too weird.

Totally Swank

I just got back from my concert. There were a whopping 11 people there, which actually made for a really great intimate setting. I enjoyed myself and felt that I could really get into the music. Everyone seemed to enjoy it as well and were very fascinated by the whole improvisational approach. Nearly everyone had questions or comments regarding the emotion and spontaneity of the music. They confirmed that this type of music which is a means of therapy for myself, is also a means of therapy for others. All in all it was an affirming and inspiring concert for me. On top of that I made nearly $100 between cd sales and my portion of ticket sales. While I offered to do this before I knew I would get paid, it is a nice addition to the already great event. Hopefully I can begin building a bit of a reputation in this small town and have even more people at my next event.

The Village

I just watched The Village by M. Night Shyamalan. Damn, that was good. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The premise was very interesting, but the storytelling was simply brilliant. It was a perfect mix of character, emotion, fear, and the unknown. I'm still gobsmacked by the story. It's not like my questions weren't answered, but I just can't stop thinking about it.

I saw Signs for the first time on Sunday and was blown away by that one as well. I had no idea it would have so much emotion and depth. I cried and was moved by the lessons learned. Except for that unfortunate Unbreakable incident and a few early works, M. Night Shyamalan has proven to me that he's a very original writer/director who knows how to tell an interesting story. I would plan to see a movie based on the fact that his name was on it.

Oh, to be Cupped in Your Sweet Care

I saw my acupuncturist today. She cupped me. She even promised to cup me again next week.

The Late Breaking News

Today my boss sat down with me and kindly informed me of all the style rules of this newspaper... the day after the paper was completed... several days after I've been laying out the paper... a week after I began this job...

...but I'm not bitter.

Just a Flesh Wound

Well, I survived an entire week at my new job. The paper went to press today, though my boss had to help with a lot of the layout to get it done (nearly two hours after deadline). I've now experienced all the basic responsibilities of my position. That feels good and once I get better settled in I think I'm going to be able to keep up.

At the moment... I'm completely exhausted. This morning, there were reporters still writing articles and ads changes still coming in. Evidently I'm the focus of all chaos on deadline day which is freakin' great when you have tons of work do. Everyone was calling out to me to fix this article and find this photo and change that headline. "Do you have that page printed for me yet?" Fortunately everyone was very understanding and helpful with the myriad of crises flying around. I worked fervently from 8am to 1:30pm before I got a break. I was given an hour lunch while my boss took over. By the time I got back the finishing touches were fairly brainless. The paper was finished at 3:30pm. I stayed till 5pm working on some easier stuff. After 9 hours of non-stop work yesterday and an insane 8 hours today, I'm completely spent.

I'm soooo not looking forward to starting the whole process again tomorrow. I hope this gets easier. Please, God, let this get easier.

Work It

I'm giving a concert next week at the Bunnell Street Gallery. You are all invited. The one hour concert will feature the same sort of new age improvisational music that is on the cd I put out last year. I offered to create a flyer for the event, but was without any suitable photos of myself so... my mom agreed to help me with a photo shoot. We took pictures all over the yard, deck, and house. We both had fun being creative with poses and locations. In the end we got a couple awesome shots. Here are two of them. I used the one on the right for the flyer.

Hand Puppet

For those who are interested, I found the official website of the Puppetry of the Penis. From the ~~bits~~, ~~parts~~, ~~segments~~, ~~footage~~, um... VIDEO PORTIONS I saw, the show is not in the least bit sexual. Complete flacidity is a requirement for all performers. It's really just like a bunch of grown boys who've first discovered their privates and decide it's be fun to fold them into hamburgers and snails and the lock ness monster... you know, that old routine. The performances are by no means a showcasing of the world's greatest penises. What I was saw was quite average. It's what they do with them there average members that's unique. I didn't find it all that disturbing, just very unnatural. I find it hard to believe that people pay money for these shows.

I Didn't Even Know That Was Possible

I watched some of "Real Sex" last night on HBO. They showed nude oil wrestling and penis sculpting. Now that's culture for you.

Lynne Predicts Accurately

The previous person who worked-in-the-production-department-laying-out-the-newspaper (they don't have an actual title for my position) just came in. We asked where he got the crosswords from since last week's puzzle doen't match the answers for this week (as found on the web for this next issue's date). It turns out that in an incredible feat of efficiency, he was recycling puzzles from previous years instead of pulling new ones from the internet. We'd had reports that the crosswords seemed to be getting easier. Now we know why.

Stylin'

Have you ever heard of this thing called styles? You know, how you assign one style to multiple paragraphs and then you can change characteristics (font, size, spacing, etc.) by simply changing the style and not having to change all the individual paragraphs? Have you heard of that? The staff at the newspaper certainly haven't. I was told they use styles, but later found out that means they paste over last week's text so it has the same font and size. Oy! I've got a lot of work to do to get this place whipped into shape. God, a little patience please.

Escape While You Still Can

"Oh, we need to buy that program still, but if you hit escape about 50 times you'll be able to get past that annoying expiration/purchase screen."

Welcome to the big time.

Cookie Dependent

At my new job there are things I have to pull off the internet each week. We have accounts. I asked about usernames and passwords: "Oh, the computer remembers those, so you don't need them. In fact, I'm not even sure if we have them written down anywhere..."

Naughty Thoughts

"...my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." (Genesis 37:7)

Completely Camera Shy

This is one of my nieces, Kymber.

Learning Curves

I started my new job today. I only worked a little over half a day but I'm still very tired. My biggest frustration was learning Quark Xpress, the program of choice at the newspaper. The functions are generally the same as PageMaker, but the way you go about them is different enough to make me want to pull out my hair. On the up side, I'm glad to gain experience with this program to round out my resume.

I'm working on an eMac G4 with less than 400 megs of ram. Several of the programs are out of date as well. I'm told that Photoshop CS will be installed soon, but currently I'm running 5.5. I'm running Quark 4.5 even though 6.1 is now out. I suppose I can't expect a small town paper to have the latest technology, but I can certainly dream.

One of the perks of my job: I and a guest get to go to the movie theatre for free as often as I want. While I'm very excited at this benefit, I feel it necessary to inform you that Homer has a tiny, dirty, one screen, second (or maybe third) run theatre. Still, it's a benefit of which I will definitely take advantage.

The office seems very casual and friendly. I didn't have a chance to get to know anyone as I was consumed with trying to figure stuff out. In time I could see enjoying the personal atmosphere. In addition, my schedule is very flexible. I can come in at 9am or 8am or 10am as I see fit. As long as things are done by deadlines, it's all good. For now I'm going to try to maintain an 8-5 schedule.

The 28 page weekly newspaper seems managable, though these first few weeks are going to be a major stress. I didn't do much today other than poke around my computer, start learning Quark, and lay out a few ads. Since the paper comes out on Wednesdays, that is the lightest day of the week. I hear everything gets crazier and crazier up until Tuesday at 2pm. I can't wait...

Fearless Color and Texture

How does one ensure that a floral print pillow on a man's bed doesn't stand out?
Pair it with a hot pink pillow, of course.

These are some pillow cases I made this week. The "raspberry" color is a satin and absolutely delicious to sleep on. This fabric was a garage sale find. The other two have a suede-like finish and are equally luxurious. Both those fabrics came from Wal-Mart.

Changes

Today would have made 13 years. Please say a prayer for "k" and I today.

The Best Laid Plans

You know the hair that grows down the back of your neck? The stuff that you use trimmers to shave away so it doesn't look like the hair from your head is oozing it's way into the collar of your shirt? I hate that. Mine grows so quickly that I would have to trim it every few days to keep a clean neck line. Tonight I had the brilliant idea to wax that hair away. And by "brilliant" I of course mean one of the stupidest, poorly thought out ideas I have ever had. On my first yank I ended up with what appeared to be a carpet on the cloth strip. After the cursing and hopping around the bathroom stopped, it was clear that the density of hair in that area was far more than should be waxed. Of course at that point I'm waxed only one side and my vanity simply can't live with that... After more swearing, hopping, and grunting, my neck is very smooth and I'm guessing once the flaming red color dies down, it'll look pretty sharp. I'd like to say that I'll never do that again, but by the time it needs it again I will probably have forgotten how horrendously painful this was and say to myself, "Hey, I should wax my neck..."

Grumble, Grumble

So I finally came to the conclusion that I was not going to be able to make a living doing Graphic Design. I'd applied for positions in Fairbanks, in Washington, and around the U.S. There seemed to be very few jobs available and tons of people applying. I moved to Homer for a period of emotional support and figured I'd likely end up working as a grocery bagger or something because the job market is especially slim here. While I did drop off my resume at the 4 places in town that actually use graphic designers I never expected anything to come through...

Well, I just accepted a position at one of the two local newspapers. I will be laying out the entire weekly newspaper. The job is full-time, pays well, and I'll be working with some Christian people. The fact that I was able to get a full-time graphic design position in Homer, of all places, is truly miraculous. I'm blown away by this gift from God. Even if the job isn't "all that," I will be making good money doing something I love. It's really humbling that God is looking out for me this much. God, you rock.

No Freakin' Way

Smashmouth is coming to the Alaska State Fair in Palmer. No joke. This big name band is coming to Alaska on September 3rd and tickets are only $30.

Refuge Chapel

Wow. I just checked out a new church today. It was mostly people in their 20s & 30s, very casual, and very passionate about God. There were multiple pastors and no singular dominant leader which totally jives with what the Bible says. The worship band was very good and played a sort of modern rock style. They were very open to God moving in supernatural ways, but not holier-than-thou about it. The people were very genuine and honestly seeking God. There were paintings and stained glass and other decorations all over the walls which is the type of promoting the arts that I've been wanting in a church. I definitely wasn't out of place with my spikey/tossled hair, my jewelry, or my tie-dyed tank top. I didn't have much of a chance to talk to the people, but everything else was amazing. I'm definitely going next week to find out more.

Bait and Switch

I went to the bead store to get the things I needed to fix one of my necklaces. While there I discovered some amazing teal beads which I simply had to find a use for. This lead to me going to another craft store to find just the right matching beads. The perfect beads (the silver cylinders with black stripes) were in a pack with several other beads which I decided to also put to use (lower bracelet). Two hours later I've spent way more than expected and came home with beading project on my hands. Here are the results of my impulse purchase and an afternoon of work.

Complimentary Encounter

My oldest niece, Taylor, stayed at my mom's house last night. She's 10, but is more intelligent and mature than most 14 year olds. We hung out for a while last night while I unpacked from my road trip. We found we like a lot of the same music and we both value being unique. Throughout the evening she was a huge boost to my ego. She told me that she thought that some guys (namely me) could be good at fashion and decorating without being gay. A very amusing observation, but a huge compliment from a 10 year old. She also said several other things which were major affirmations to me. Here are the two that complimented me the most:

Taylor: "You talk to me like a real person. Most adults don't do that."

------

Taylor: "You are like 10 years older than me."
Me: "Actually it's more like 20 years. I'm 32 years old."
Taylor: "Well, you don't act that old. You're young at heart."

True Humiliation

While driving from Anchorage to Homer today I saw a camper truck pulling a boat behind it pass an SUV. What is worse is that a few hours later I saw a suburban pulling a boat pass a completely different SUV going uphill. I kid you not. I'm sorry, but if you are going slow enough that the "slow" vehicles are passing you then perhaps you have no right being on the road in the first place.

Moving Company Seeks New Marketing Director

On a U-Haul sign in Fairbanks: "Move to California, get a free tank of gas."

Grow Up

Having ranted about best friends I thought it only fitting to talk about the people that I consider my best friends. Now when I was younger a "best friend" was a lofty title, only to be awarded to one individual. This title could rotate depending on who didn't make fun of you in gym, but it could only be held by one person at a time.

As an adult I find that it would be impossible for me to narrow things down to the one ultimate friendship in my life. I currently have three best friends and, yes, I realize how amazingly blessed I am and how rare these type of friendships are. One is the perfect person to go to when I'm depressed or need to vent. Another is the best for when I'm in a partying or in a silly mood. The third is great for the more philosophical or adventurous things. While I can be depressed or silly or philosophical with all of these people, they each fulfill those needs in different doses.

I consider a best friend the type of person with whom you can be horribly honest and with whom you don't have to work to have a good time. The true sign of a best friend is when sitting around doing nothing is just as enjoyable as going to an event together.

I've been visiting one of my best friends for the past 5 days. Today I leave and I will miss her. It sucks that I can't have all my best friends in one place... of course, with all their differences, they'd probably all end up killing each other. Yeah, on second hand, better for them to stay in their own little corners of the globe.

Now Accepting Applications

Before you hate me, I do realize that there is a positive side to my "condition," but it's really not as great a thing as you might think...

I have this thing about making best friends. Or perhaps I should say that other people have a thing about making me their best friend. It seems to happen to me often. I meet someone like two times and I'm instantly their "bestest friend in the entire world." They want to hang out with me all the time and tell me all their troubles. While a few of these are people actually tolerable, I have no interest being the best friend to the masses. If ya wanna build a friendship, I'm all over that. I'm not an Instant Best Friend. If ya add water, I'll just be wet.

So why am I cursed in such a way? I respect people and I listen. That's all. It's not like I'm handing out blow jobs or anything. I'm also a recovering co-dependent so there may be some pheromone that I emit which says, "Use me, I'm yours." I don't know.

I'm thinking of cultivating a wicked case of body odor to drive away my adoring fans.

I Am My Own Rainbow

I totally believe in the power of positive thinking. I don't see it as some mystical pat answer, but I think that if you expect good things, they are more likely to turn out that way. I think it has to do with the subtle, subconcious things we do to bring about change in our lives. If I believe that I will be successful in a new career I will likely ooze that positive vibe into every action and interaction. I will talk with people like I'm successful, they will see me that way, treat me that way, and in turn help me become that way. It's all very esoteric, I know, but I think it makes a huge difference in our lives.

No Vacancy

Dude, my social calendar has been packed since I've been up in Fairbanks. I've gone non-stop to get in all the sites, errands, visits, and events. I guess visiting a place in which I lived for 14 years will do that to you. Thankfully I've seen everyone I wanted to see and I've done all I wanted to do. Now I move the marathon to Anchorage for a few days before returning to Homer. Since I've been an unemployed bum for 3 months now, I suppose I shouldn't complain too much about the "work" that has been my road trip.

Hob-Nobbing

We cruised the art galleries last night as they all had openings and hors d'oeuvres. It was great though I felt like I should be saying snooty things while swishing around my drink in it's cup.

New Hotness

I just found out that my brother-in-law and his wife are expecting their second child, due next April! Congratulations to them, even if I did have to hear about their efforts.

Identity

I just saw the movie Identity for the first time. It rocked. I completely loved the premise and the twists and the characters. Very good movie.

Surfing the State

Tonight I arrived in Fairbanks and am staying with Valette. Last night I visited Lady Bossco and I will probably see Joat sometime in the next few days. Now I just need to swing by to see Lynne on my way home and I'll have covered my main blogging family.

My Wife is an Actress

I just watched a great French movie, My Wife is an Actress. Brilliant dialogue and an amusing story.

Call It a Hunch

I have a sneaking suspicion that one must actually put the clothes in the washer for them to get clean. On the up side, the washer is spotless.

Puncture

I went to a new acupuncturist today and I'm amazed at how differently each practitioner approaches the procedure. The lady today tapped all the needs into place. And when I say tap, I actually mean that she thumped the hell out of them. I believe that her motto is: thump, tweak, twist, and tap until the client feels like you've attached jumper cables directly to a frayed nerve ending.

"CLEAR!" <ziiing>
"We've got no pulse doctor."
"Turn up the juice. We're going to try again..."

Wade On

It was hot and gorgeously sunny today. I went to the beach and went wading. Wading for me involves standing in water up to my armpits. It's not what most people call wading, but since there is no flailing of limbs it really can't be called swimming. Standing in the water, soaking up the sun, listening to the calming sound of the ocean, and enjoying the view of the amazing moutain range across the bay was blissful. After I got out I sat on a driftwood log while I dried off and baked some more in the warm sun. This was followed up by laying on a smooth bed of sun heated stones. The entire venture was like a dream day at the spa without the triple digit cost or the snobby people handing you herbal towelettes.

Big Fat Hairy Deal

I spent the day with my aunt the hair dresser. We went to a hair show in Kenai which involved tons of funky colors, cuts, techniques, and styles. I'm considering beauty school as a new career option and this trip was a sampling of that world to help me make up my mind. I had such a good time. I learned a lot and loved seeing all the possibilities. I definitely have more than just a passing interest in hair and think I would thoroughly enjoy learning all the details of the biz. What I don't know is if I want to commit to the 1-2 years of schooling. Whilst I contemplate that option I'm tentatively signed up to be a hair model at the October hair show in Anchorage. I love the idea of having some funky new cut and color demonstrated on my head. It'd definitely fill that creative need for change and give me a reason to try some wild stuff that I may never choose on my own. Besides that, everyone would be looking at me. I really can never get enough of that.