April 1 - April 15
A Fool's Rambling
4-1-02
Well as you can see by the comic, I was made quite the fool today. Only once though. Only once. I was caught unawares straight out of dreamland. What a low blow. March, as they say, is supposed to come "in like a lion, out like a lamb" but here in Montana it is as my fencing TA, "the Thin Man" says: "In like a lion, out like a lion - no wait - lamb - no lion - er - lamb - lion..." Yesterday it was really nice. And this morning it was warm enough to warrent a jacket. By noon, however, a snowstorm blew in and made everything cold and bitter and slick again. But before the day was ruined by snow, I got to see the muskrat! I was so delighted. Really, they are like miniature beavers. And the way they flip their tails like a propeller is rather comical. I watched him for a while, surprised at how acclimated he was to the nearness of humans. I guess he'd have to be in order to live beside the sidewalk. He went under the walk through the drainage pipe so I went to the other side to wait for him to come out. I guess it surprised him when he saw me looming over because he was spooked and darted away like a mini lightning bolt, leaving a cloud of mud in his wake. It reminded me of the way a crawdad shoots away when you touch it. So fast!
I also watched a magpie sitting at the top of a pine tree. There are lots of those birds around here. Obnoxious bullys with loud mouths. They're related to crows and jays. I always think, every time I see one, that it would be fun to grab it by the tail and swing it around. They have really long tails that look like a perfect handle to grip. I don't think I'll ever do it, but it certainly invokes an amusing image.
I attended classes, walking through the evil flakes of iciness. Sometimes the snow was pretty, drifting down in a mystical sort of way, and other times it blew straight into my face and stung. It came with cold, however, and that's enough to ruin any warm day.
After my fencing class, I met Jake and Pete (who recently joined fencing club at Jake's prompting) and I fenced the Thin Man and Daniel and watched some fun saber matches. Pete was nice enough to give me a ride home (Jake wanted to stay and finish a duel) so I didn't have to trek through the hated snow. When I arrived, Mom said supper would be on when Mertle came home so I went in my room to work on Tari's cassette tapes. After about 2 years of living in different states and emailing, we finally decided to trade music, so I have a lot to show her. After a while Mertle walked into my room and said Pete was here and that he had been in a wreck. I went out and Pete was talking to his father on the phone, who seemed rather angry with him even though the roads were icy and it was the other driver's fault. Mertle said he'd drive Pete over to the police station to get some forms and Mom and Jake volunteered to clean the broken glass from his car since his father said he had to drive it home (oh yes, and it was still cold and it was still snowing, so open windows are not a fun thing). When Mertle and Pete returned, Pete seemed to be in a better mood because he felt like eating something at last. That made me happy. Then Mertle lent him his coat and hat. I was proud of Mertle for being so nice. When it really counts, he's there.
Sorry my comic was so late. This new schedule threw me off a bit, but I'll get used to it.
Playing with Sticks
4-2-02
The day started out all cold and slippery. I was running late but couldn't walk fast because there was ice under my every step. Of course as soon as I was out of class everything was melting and stable. The sun was warm and the shade was frozen so that anywhere there was a shadow there was ice. The sun would melt the packed snow and ice up to the edge of the shadows so there were two dimensional white silhouettes of cars and telephone poles all over. When you walked through the shadows, your shoes would stick to the ground like when you pull ice cubes out of a tray with wet fingers. Everything was melting so fast in the sun that steam was pouring across the landscape. It reminded me of deep winter when you get a similar smokey effect on the streets. But in the deep winter it's not steam - it's fine powdered snow that blows in the wind. Reminds you of those spooky old flicks with the dry ice fog that blows around people's feet like ghosts.
I guess the sun was hot enough to overheat the cars with their windows up even though it was still cold outside. A greenhouse effect. Drivers realized that it was actually warm enough to roll down their windows a bit. Evidently, this initiated some sort of city-wide sound test after seven months of weather-enforced silence. I laughed out loud at one corner (and was inspired) when four or five different cars and trucks drove by me all thudding away with their hip-hop base turned up. All those 'punk' guys bobbing their heads to different beats. They all clashed and sounded awful. And their head-bobbing was out of sync with the other beats. I couldn't help but laugh. They thought they were so cool - that everyone was looking at them and hearing how hip their music was. Maybe they'd get more looks and attention if there was only one of them. But this was campus - a place FULL of young guys who all have the same idea.
I went to my self defense class and watched the other TA get beat up instead of me for once. Poor Kris. At least she knows Jujistu so she can beat up the teacher, Scott, after class, heh heh. She and I stuck around afterwards and Scott taught us some kendo moves and let me take a stick home. I felt strange walking down the sidewalk with a stick in one hand. Usually people walk right at me and make ME move out of their way, but when I was carrying this stick, everyone - even the big guys moved to the far side of the sidewalk to give me space. It was fun! (Although I did feel a little bad when a mother walking with a stroller and several young children told them to stay close...)
Cookies
4-3-02
Today was a little more interesting than the usual, but despite its interest, I was unable to come up with anything deserving of comic-hood. So I'm using something that happened a while ago that could have easily happened today since once again Pete was here and once again Jake made tea.
I had to work on the wheel again today in ceramics. My dragon and four bowls were supposed to be due today and I had no bowls whatsoever. So I snatched up a secret apron, scrambled to my favorite potter's wheel and started it spinning. On my fourth bowl I accidently put a hole in the bottom. I was running out of time, so I did some quick thinking. I made the hole bigger and more intentional, then, crossed some strands of clay across it like a drain and said that it was for grapes so that any excess water would run out the bottom. You'd have to set it in a saucer, of course, but that's okay - that's how it was meant to be. Yeah. Really.
I stayed after class for a while to clean up and the phone on the wall rang. It's a dirty old phone covered in clay with a springy chord. A nasty tan/yellow color. It rang for a while and I ignored it since my hands were smudged with red teracotta and the "drain" on my grape bowl was coming apart, but it kept ringing. So, out of curiosity for who would be this desperate to get through to the ceramics room, I strolled across the room with my bowl and answered. Some lady in Colorado wanted to know about a summer watercolor class. I said, "This is the ceramics room." she said "They gave me this number for the art department!" I looked around for some sort of phone list or book. Nothing. I felt sorry for her since she was calling from such a long distance and some dolt gave her the wrong number, so I told her to wait and I'd run upstairs to the office myself and ask. I didn't get in the office (it was closed), but I DID find "Mr. Flan" who, apparently, was in charge of summer watercolor classes. Mission accomplished.
I came home and talked to the roach some. I was hungry so I peeled a carrot and started eating it at the computer. This gnat came and started flying around my face, then it stuck to my carrot which made me mad. Roach said that it was most likely deprived of love as a child (a mother can only do so much when she has a million offspring) and was seeking attention.
After Roach I spoke to Arkady, who, after completing the rough draft of her thesis, wrote a beautiful first chapter to her Sidhe and Banagher story. She is an incredible writer!
I also spoke to Laurel the Mouse and thought up some new descriptives words: psychocharismatica, socioumbrantational, and (for the Roach) Scuttilicacharacha. Words are fun to play with. I...am...a...Tyropteric vulpinistic palidominous subsiblimatic humaniac. Ha ha ha! (If any of those are actual words, it was an accident).
I finally added Pete to the character page, plus some more information. Then it was off to fencing once again where I lost to Garry and then to Jake. I'm planning on going to another city for a big tournament this Saturday, but after today I'm wondering if it's such a good idea. Oh well. It will be fun even if I lose every match.
Thursday night Thin Man is having a party for all the fencers. I think I'll go and bring some rootbeer. Weinhard Rootbeer, that is. As far as my double decade experience has brought me, I've found that it is the best rootbeer on earth.
At one point this evening, I was overcome by a desire for ice cream or something sweet. Chocolate. Pudding. Jello. Popcicles...but there was nothing in our wee apartment that fit that category. Mom suggested that I make cookies out of a cake mix that we had. So I did! And I only burnt one out of three batches!
I'm Lazy and in a Hurry
4-4-02
It was a mistake to wait until after the fencing party to do my comic. Then again, I didn't really have a chance to before. Oh well. This sort of scribbling madness is what comes of desperation. I tried - I really did! But I couldn't stay awake! I fell asleep thinking about the tournament I'm going to Saturday and dreamed the worst possible scenario: I wasn't dressed in my fencing gear when it was my turn so the colosseum audience had to wait. I was wearing stupid pink ballerina shoes, I couldn't see because I was wearing dirty contacts AND glasses and then when I finally came out onto the platform I realized that I had forgotten my sword and glove! I had to borrow a fingerless glove and a right-handed sword and then I lost and the audience "boo"ed. Having experienced that sort of humiliation, I think that I can take anything that comes this Saturday and be okay with it.
And now, it seems, that I have tripped and fallen right back into my old routine because I'm typing this out Friday morning. Oh well. Maybe I'll catch up tonight. Let's see...what happened yesterday...(trying to squeeze memory out of brain). Bugs. Bugs were all over. And it was hot! Yes, very hot. Well, not VERY hot, but hot enough to bring out the bugs and make people take off their jackets. Let's see...I remember running into a lady carrying a sheep head. That was interesting. And in the afternoon I trimmed my bowls and heard this girl talking about how she was married in July. Another girl asked her "Are you going to have kids?" and her answer was "Never if I can help it. But I DO want puppies." Now that's twisted.
The party was really fun. I found that Thin Man is a fellow dinosaur enthusiast and then talked to a bunch of people. Then we watched The Mask of Zorro (and rewatched the sword fights in slow-mo) and I drank my Weinhard vanilla cream. Then the pizza came and we all...ate it. Exciting, no? Garry kept pouring water on me to get a reaction and it worked so he kept doing it. Grrrr. I watched some spoon fencing and talked to Maestro about maybe doing a T-shirt design for the club. I think I will. But first I suppose I need to get Indole's logo done. It's not as exciting as a fencing splash, but it does have priority. And now, my friends, I must return to campus and finish my exhausting computer lab assignment. Adios.
A Great Day.
4-6-02
Once again I do apologize for that crappy piece of supposed "art" I put up Friday morning. And I must also apologize for not making up for it Friday night. Basically all I did was work in the computer lab until 4:00 p.m. which was gnaw-your-fingers off boring. Before I was trapped in the lab for hours, however, a few other people and I had to wait for someone to come and open the lab. They stood there and I went exploring (aka peeping into various rooms to see what's inside). I found a very interesting place called "The Ion Beam Lab". I might have gone in - I really wanted to, but I wasn't sure whether I'd disturb some sort of electronic field with the static produced from my body or not and didn't want to get in trouble. It is such an interesting place! It resembles a genuine "Mad Scientist's Lab" with all it's weirdo equipment and machinery everywhere. Blipping meters and screens, various throw switches, and tin foil on giant metal dealies. Maybe one day I'll ask what exactly it is they do in there.
Anyway, nothing else happened after escaping the computer lab except I was able to talk to my dear friend Tari on the phone long distance and then we rented "Young Frankenstein", which made me think of the Ion Beam Lab. I went straight to sleep after that because I had to get up early for fencing. So really, you missed nothing too interesting.
The REAL excitement was, of course, today. I got up at 4:30 A.M. and zombied my way over to the barn to meet up with the other fencers. Poor Garry had accidently set his clocks ahead Friday night instead of Saturday night so he arrived there at 3:00 A.M. and got even less sleep than he had to. We waited for Maestro to come open the barn for us to get our duds and swords, and then we took off on a 2.5 hour drive to the tournament. I doodled and dozed a bit and then had a very long conversation with Will about the flaws of humanity while Garry caught up on sleep.
When we got there I paid the $10 fee and registered as a novice. There were 16 novices which, they tell me, is an unusually high number of novices, and only one other novice was female (which I found odd considering the many females we have in my class). I fenced and did very poorly. I lost every match I had, although one was "la belle" which meant it was tied at four and whoever got the next point would win. I didn't get it, but a lot of people cheered for me (out of pity, perhaps). Wish I could have at least won ONE. Some of the more experienced fencers consolled me by telling me how bad they did in their first tournaments and it gave me a little hope. I should do better next time. I think. At least I learned a lot.
We drove home and it was just me and Garry in the back this time instead of Garry, Will and a squished me in the middle. After we were gone I remembered that I forgot my sword and hiking boots, but it was too late to go back. Or at least - too much of a hassle. I'd already made them wait longer than they wanted by forgetting my shirt and having to go back for it. I think Maestro will find and bring back the sword since it's labeled, but the boots may never return.
Garry and I had a lot of fun playing hang man and GHOST in the car and then we finally reached the barn again. I was starving because I only had 2 doughnuts and a turnover all day, so I asked Garry if he wanted to go get something big to eat. He thought that was a good idea, so we went to Perkins and feasted. We talked about Scotland and Arkansas and I rambled on and on about my hometown until Garry started to "blink" longer than usual (Eyes closed for 2-3 seconds). We decided to call it a night at that point.
Here are some of the doodles I did on the trip. Maybe these'll make up for the shabby Thursday/Friday comic.
Doodles
Tormenting Lost Insects
4-7-02
Well I woke up a little late this morning due to certain outrageous time adjustments, I didn't make it to the first church service. Mom made us french toast for breakfast which was splendid as usual, then Jake and I took off. Mertle stayed home sleeping because he went to prom last night and only just got in at 5 A.M. Mom had some sort of work she had to do, so she stayed home too. In church I doodled on my outline as usual, because I feel like I have to do something with my hands when I'm sitting still and at least if I draw on the outline my attention will be ON the outline so I won't miss filling in the blanks so much. I stayed after to discuss some confusing verses with a leader but he didn't have an answer for me, so when I got home I researched it myself and found my own answer. I also wrote up an entire analysis/lesson thing on an obscure bible character, Mephibosheth, though I'm not sure why. I guess it's because he's not as well-known as others and I like him.
I also found a wasp crawling across the floor of my bedroom today. I grabbed a sandal and beat it repeatedly until it couldn't get up. Then I pulled out my bug magnifier and set it on an index card and poked it with a dissection probe. I cut off its stinger with scissors in case it escaped during my examination (just to be safe), then after it got boring and stopped trying to bite, I started to wonder just how strong the connection between its head and thorax was. It was surprisingly thin and in a moment the head was separated from the body and I wondered what to do next. It was a very interesting creature and the head was especially cool with its wicked eyes and jagged mandibles. I thought I might keep it, so I superglued it to the tip of a thin piece of wire and stuck it in the dirt of one of my plants. Then I put scotch tape over the edge of my window screen to keep any more wasps from coming in and stinging me in the night.
Later in the day it rained and that made me happy because that's the first time in a long time that water has fallen from the sky in a liquid state. My left arm and hand still ache a little from the tournament, but it's fading and doesn't really matter anyway since I'm really right handed. Now it's getting late and I must turn in for the night. I will try to do something more impressive for my 50th Highlight of the Day comic that will be coming up shortly.
Ducks and More Humiliation
4-8-02
Another clay day, but this time I didn't use the wheel (even though I really probably should have). I glazed a bunch of bowls and things instead. I'd have liked to stay longer and just made things for fun, but I had other classes. I also had to get home, eat something, and throw some laundry in before I left for my film production class. I went home and found that another person was taking over the laundry room, even though it wasn't their designated time slot. That made me a little miffed since I was running out of clothes, but I didn't have much time to dwell on the matter since my next class was in a few minutes. We had a quiz and I did okay since I read most of the book and then I talked to my teacher about all the different ideas I had for films and how frustrating it was that I wouldn't be able to carry them out. She questioned my going to Arizona, but it's too late to change the plan and I don't think it's a bad choice. She said that I sounded like a "story teller". That seemed to click just perfect for me because she hit the nail right on the head. I love to make stories. That's what I've been trying to do since the beginning - when I played with toys, when I wrote books, when I wrote English papers, when I role play, when I draw comics, and it's even one of the reasons I want to go to Arizona. I want to learn to animate so that I can animate stories. What does this mean? I don't know.
Maybe that I have more of a direction than I thought I did.
After my film class I hurried home (pausing at the duck pond to gawk at the duck orgy), and found that the laundry room was still occupied. This was unacceptably rude. I found that one of the two washers was empty so I put one load in and left my baskets full of clothes there to perhaps hint to the other person that yes, there was another person who needed the laundry room and no, it was not their turn anymore. It took a while for our neighbor to get the message, but it all worked out okay in the end.
I went to fencing and Maestro drilled us with footwork until we were all sweaty and tired. Then we practiced some disengages and then partook in some class-wide battles. I got to fence three people after that. I tied with two and won against one. My luck plumetted from then on. Jake and Pete came in and Jake dueled me and won. Then a little 11 or 12 year-old girl beat me 3 to 2. Then Pete beat me 3 to 0. Then Jake beat me again and then Garry beat me 5 to nothing. It was the perfect ending to a poopy losing streak. Nyeh.
I came home and smelled something good. I was hoping that it was coming from our apartment. Lucky for me it was! Mom made cookies and had a grilled cheese sandwich, tea, and salad waiting for me. I devoured it all with pleasure and then called this guy back who had left a message for me on the machine. He wants me to do a storyboard for his movie. I asked him how long it was. The storyboard I did for my group was for a minute-long film and the senior film I helped with was about 10. This film will be about 120 minutes. That's a heck of a lot of storyboarding, but I would get paid to draw. I'm thinking that's a pretty good deal since I have no job and love to draw. Storyboarded, our minute-flick was one page long and slightly squished. That means about 120 pages of detailed, comic-like illustrations. Then again, even if I just charged a dollar for each, that'd be $120. I was thinking two dollars per page, but he IS a poor college student so maybe that's too much. I will ask my teacher what is reasonable I guess. He wants me to drop off samples of my work tomorrow at the MTA building and he will, in return, drop off a copy of his last movie and some more information. Now I have a logo, a T-shirt design, and a film to do. I need to get hopping!
The Man Who shoveled Dirt in a Hole
4-9-02
For a few days now I have noticed that "they" have been putting up a new lamp post by the EPS building. Today I saw a strange motorized contraption running near it and so after class I thought I'd bug the construction guys and see what exactly it was they were doing. When I approached the hole in the ground with a fence and canvas enclosing it, I found only one fellow. A guy with a graying beard and a shovel. He was scooping 10 meters of dirt into this giant square hole one shovel-full at a time. I asked him about the machine and the lightpost, and found out that the strange contraption was a dirt compactor and that the lightpost was not a lightpost at all, but a work of art. A wind sculpture. He just hadn't put the big whirly part on yet. I talked to him for a while because he seemed bored, then wished him luck and went to copy some samples for the film guy. I got extremely frustrated at the stupid copy machine because it kept screwing my copies up. In the end, I came out with as many botched copies as good, useful copies. The guy who was waiting to use it after me suggested that I go get refunded at the little card store downstairs. I did and had to argue my case for about 5 minutes and fill out a little form before I got about 5 quarters back. I then went to the bookstore to find an envelope and bought a Dr. Pepper and post cards too. The post cards are of Montana and my town - mementos for when I move to Arizona. I needed to go back to the EPS building to work on some of my computer assignment, and stopped to see how the man in the hole was doing. He said he needed to get done before 4 because that's when the semi was coming. He said he worked in Yellowstone for 15 years and that making and putting up these big wind sculptures is his only job. I commented on how the grass roots dangling along the edges looked like dirt icicles and then left to do boring computer stuff. At around 12, I got out and peeked into the ion beam research lab. I asked the guy what they did in there and he told me. A lot of it went in one ear and out the other, but I kept asking questions and making him dumb down the language enough for it to make sense. Basically they test surfaces using proton beams shot through vacuumized tubes. He explained how he was studying oxidization of a metal and how they also research how different metals compliment each other when layered one on top of the other (with thickness measured by the atom). He told me about the crystal structures of metals and how they know what sort of atoms they have by how fast the proton beams bounce off of them. Basically what they do that is beneficial to society is they see what sorts of materials are more durable, and which combinations work better for things like computers. I was amazed at how much this guy knew and how excited he was about proton beams.
After that I stopped by to see how the man in the hole was doing. He had filled up nearly a foot of dirt in 4.5 hours (though he had about two more feet to go). We talked about how the dirt compactor would crush every bone in your foot if you accidently slipped (it was like a giant jack hammer) and how the huge bison and elk herds that used to roam the plains were actually NOT natural, but a result of less hunting by the indians who were killed off by European diseases. We talked about how important compacting dirt was under buildings and how once a young guy who was working with the man in the hole was swarmed by a nest of wasps.
I stopped by the MTA building on my way home to see if the film guy had come for my samples. He hadn't, but I found that he'd left something for ME earlier. It was the 120 page script and his last movie.
I passed the duck pond and found a poor female that couldn't walk. She could push herself along on her belly, but that was about it. I wanted to do something to help, but what would I do? What could I do? So I left her in peace and hoped she wouldn't die.
Then I stopped on the small bridge over the campus stream to look for the muskrat and was surprised to see it swim right up under my nose. I watched it and this guy came up and asked if I was looking at a muskrat. I said "yeah, but I think you just scared it off." because he had. He said that there was more than one muskrat in the stream. I asked if he was sure about that and he was, so now I'll have to keep an eye out for more than one muskrat.
When I got home I watched the movie and ate the last of the cookies. I was surprised that the film guy had a relatively famous actor as the main character.
Pete came and drank tea and left and then Mel came to borrow my scanner to scan a fish head. She took me to Hastings since "Young Frankenstein" needed to be returned and I found a good Wolverine comic. Norm Rapmund and Sean Chen are awesome artists. We uncovered the Hastings chocolate oranges conspiracy and then she drove me home and we called it a night.
Crazy Lady
4-10-02
Art always takes up more than half my day. I helped load a kiln, rolled out a new stick for my lifesavers dispenser, and made a candy dish that looks like a fat bulldog head.
Around 12 I remembered that my Film Production class teacher was speaking at a Women's seminar (I noticed it on the door of her office the other day). I ran over and got in on most of the talking and all of her short film. There was a white-haired lady sitting in the back who I'm fairly certain was crazy. After the movie (which consisted of trains and semi trucks and neat sound effects), she raised her hand and started talking. I don't think anyone understood her, but what she said was so strange that no one wanted to clarify that there was sense in it. She said that because the film had trains, it was like training. And that truck companys could use the film to train and say "We need this many more guys to drive".
The film was about trains moving and trucks driving with flashes of farm animals, a little bar sign, and clips from a rodeo intermixed. It had nothing to do with anything this woman was saying. Cindy, my teacher, tried to change the subject into something comprehesible by saying,
"Yeah, I showed this to one of my friends' kids and they loved it. So I was thinking - Wow! An untapped audience! Heh heh. Kids love stuff like that - you know - like construction sites. They love to watch those time-lapses of buildings going up and will sit for hours at a site watching..." At this point the mad woman spoke up again saying,
"And you know, every time they find human remains they have to stop the projects."
I don't know if she was talking for the sake of talking or what, but I know she didn't pick up on the fact that everyone in the room was raising eyebrows at each other in confusion. Afterwards I was talking to Cindy and the white-haired lady came up and asked her if she knew how to make film. Like - the actual Kodak-factory-produced film. Cindy said,
"No...I make films - as in movies." So the lady handed Cindy and I index cards with a web site and address written on it and on the back it said "send checks to this address". I still haven't looked at the site because I'm afraid of what I may find.
Later I went to fencing. It was the last day we had to attend the class so we filled out teacher evaluations and ate gummy bears. I stayed to fence and beat Bird Man and the other lefty, then Jace beat me 5 to 3 and then Jake came and beat me 3 to 2. I directed a few matches and then around 7:30 the mean people came in. They started to get chairs and set them up in one end of the barn. I knew they were the mean people that yelled at us before because I recognized the dog. I had no idea what organization they were, so I leaned over and whispered to Bird man,
"Who are they?" His nose wrinkled and he smiled, eyes darting towards the gathering crowd,
"The DARK side..."
Contemplating #50
4-11-02
As you may have noticed, today's picture is not exactly a comic. The reason for this is that I could not think of anything, and I feel that the next Highlight of the Day comic will have to be fairly humorous and well-done since it will be my first milestone. Fifty comics!
Unfortunately, Mom is insisting that I change my daily system now that I've reached this point. She says I put way too much time into this (only 2 hours...) and that I need to cherish these last days we all have together. The "cherishing my family" thing sounds reasonable, but I really don't want to stop the daily comic because it has become a habit and makes me look for the humor in each moment of every day. Mom thinks I should cut back to one comic a week, reasoning that they will be of higher quality because I will have a week's worth of ideas to choose the best from. I, however, think that such a cut-back would be too drastic for me. I do think it's a good idea to slack off now that I've reached fifty, though, since all my college finals are coming up. I think that I will start putting up my comic on a bi-weekly basis. Tuesdays and Fridays. How's that sound? I will keep up with the writing I think, and put up sketches or pictures I draw still, but "Highlight of the Day" will only show up twice a week. So after Friday's comic goes up, that will be it until Tuesday. Sorry if you guys are disappointed.
Today not much happened. Not much at all. The most exciting thing I did all day was go try to see the movie, "Amelie" with Mom, but they sold out before we could get in. Mom bought me a chai tea shake which was marvelous, and then I got to eat cake at home. I'm sure you are all green with envy.
FIFTY
4-12-02
Well here it is! The big 5-0. Not hilarious, but larger than ususal. Okay, I admit it - I really just wanted to draw a Tyrannosaurus. I still have the Adobe disk, but my conscience is still keeping me from using it. Perhaps I can persuade it to let this one slide.
I lost half of my Friday in the computer lab. Surprisingly, I took nearly as long on the bonus crossword puzzle as I did on the actual assignment. At least the puzzle was more fun. I stopped by the art building on my way home and helped unload a kiln. I retrieved 4 of my bowls, my black skeleton, my funky glaring fat man's head, and my spider tile and took them home. It was already 5:30 by then - bread time, so I put all my ceramics down on the table and went down to get some bread. The line was long, but this one Asian-looking guy came over to talk to me. He's a nice guy. I see him just about every time I go and he's one of the only ones who smiles at me. I'm thinking that I should do something fun to bring everyone together since we all meet and wait there every week. Some game. But I'm not sure what. It'd have to be fairly simple, but fun.
I got bread and went home to play around on the computer until people got home. Pete came to spend the night and we went out to eat at Arby's. I used to work there a long time ago - maybe 4 years ago, but this one girl I knew from back then was still working there. I commented about it to the cashier and asked him if Seth still worked there. He said no, and that he'd moved to Washington. He asked me my name and said he'd tell him I asked about him. I said,
"Ah, well I just remember him as the guy who punched the wall and broke almost all the bones in his hand." He laughed and said,
"Yeah - I was the guy who was there that night and took him to the hospital!" I thought that was funny and it made me realize how long this guy had been working at Arby's as well. Wow. I really couldn't stand to work fast food for that long. Too stressful, greasy, smelly, and sickening.
We went to Hastings and rented a couple of Movies. We watched Se7en and it was fairly interesting despite the language. Kevin Spacy plays a good apathetic villain. So then I got to work on the comic and stayed up until 4:00 AM. It's strange how your eyesight and comprehensive skills distort at that time of night/morning.
My Neck Hurts
4-14-02
Well I didn't write Saturday night because I collapsed in an exhausted heap at 9:30 and fell almost instantly asleep with change in my pocket and unbrushed teeth. I'm certain you all needed to know that. I guess I just stayed up too late too often the days before. So I bummed around all day and mom brought home doughnut holes and grapes (mmm...spherical breakfast). After a lot of lazying about I noticed how loud the wind was. I went out and it wasn't a cold wind, so I thought I'd try to fly my old Animorphs kite. Mertle said he'd help so I put it together and we ran out. There was a LOT of wind so he just let it go outside of the apartment.
"What about the buildings? It might crash into a building." I said.
"Nonsense. Just give it more string." I did and it flew up and up and then did a nose-dive into the roof, sending bits of plastic up in a miniature explosion.
"See? I told you." I pulled the kite down and only one stick was broken. "It just needs a new stick." I said. He dropped it carelessly to the concrete,
"It's busted, Jo." I insisted that it wasn't and was annoyed that he'd dropped it like a piece of garbage. I started looking for wire or something to fix it and eventually he decided to help me (he has the instinctual "I can fix it, I'm a man" compulsion) so he cut and fashioned a strong hanger and we went out to try again. A few yards from the apartment he held it up, preparing to release it yet again.
"We should go to the field - it's not that far."
"Nonsense," he said, "It just needs more string." I sighed (I'm still not sure why I believed him) and let out the string. It flew up high, then crashed into the roof again.
"Agh! I TOLD you we should have gone into the field! You should have learned that the buildings were too dangerous first time!" He scowled at me,
"Me? Well why didn't YOU learn?" I was more than aggrivated, but it had just lost the hanger part again so I went back to the apartment to put in another. We made a double-thick wire piece this time and Mertle taped it to the kite so it wouldn't pop out.
"Well...don't we want it to come free if it crashes again? You know - like ski releases do?" He tore off another piece of scotch tape and wrapped the end to the plastic,
"Well, Jo, today we're snowboarding." Perhaps the hanger parts were too loose and that's why it kept breaking, I didn't know for sure, so I let him do it. It seemed strong and sturdy enough. We headed out again.
"This time we go to the field."
"Nonsense. All you need to do is give it more string."
"That doesn't work. You should know that by now."
"Just give it more string, it'll be fine! Look - we can just let it go a little further out. We don't have to go all the way to the field." I kept going towards the field, but he released the kite anyway. It flew in wild circles while the wind threatened to tear it apart. "What are you doing? Give it more string!" I did and up it flew - up - up into the sky then, like a kamikaze pilot: Zooooooooooom - CRASH! It splintered against the roof one last time. I yelled at Mertle and he yelled at me, then we returned to the apartment and I tried to cut my kite into a functioning shape again - diamond instead of triangle. It seemed a little small so I gave it a trashbag tail, hoping to balance it out. Mertle stayed home this time and I was okay with that. My repairs were less than workable, for the kite seemed to be designed to fly down into the ground instead of up into the sky. The wind was certainly powerful, though, and whipped the string out of my fingers a few times, rewarding my vain kite-flying attempts with a nice bloody cut. I finally gave up and went back home to lay around more.
That was Saturday.
Today I went to church alone because Mom had to work and Jake didn't get up when he was supposed to. Mom said Mertle could drive him (even though he didn't - he ended up walking along the highway) so I went ahead and went and listened to some great Moby music on the way. There was a creationist guy there talking about the flaws of evolution. It was interesting, but I'd heard most of it before. I ask a lot of questions and that's not something I feel I can just nod my head about and ignore. Truth is truth and no matter what sort of evidence you find, it should help to prove, rather than disprove that truth, right? If it's the truth. No covering things up or changing the scales to let you win. If you did that then you'd not be searching for truth anymore.
So after church I went to get a comic book I've been thinking about getting, but it wasn't at the store. My money was burning a hole in my pocket so I stopped at the grocery store to get some goldfish crackers. I walked out with ice cream and rootbeer instead. I thought that for the same price as a comic, I could make the brothers and myself rootbeer floats and that'd be a lot nicer than something only I would 'benefit' from. We ate 'em up and then I cleaned my room all day until Mom returned at 8:00. I sorted all my art into sketches and doodles, real art, assigned art projects, and revenge art. Revenge art probably isn't a good thing, but I only have four or so from my entire life. They're kind of like keeping a grudge, but they're also like a pure art form - created soley on emotion. There's one of a dumb-looking cow with his brain popping out and birds fighting over it. He's saying something like,
"Ha ha - Jo's so stupid - don't you get it? Can't you understand already?" Some guy in my old geometry class who gave me a hard time. I don't even remember - oh wait, yeah I do. Wheeler. Some guy named Wheeler. I can't believe I still remember that. Then there are a few of my sister, heh heh...and one that I'm still not sure whether I should burn or not. It actually has dead flies glued to it. Is that weird or what? Kinda morbid. I should probably get rid of them. They're not very nice memoirs. I guess it was a better way of releasing my anger as compared to Colombine, though, heh. Wheeler's a cow, heh heh heh...
Stabbing People is Fun
4-15-02
Well...I didn't make any jars over the weekend for my ceramics class because of the kite cut (really a lame excuse, I suppose), so when my teacher was checking people's jars and such I said nothing and he never asked to see my non-existant jars. I suppose I will have to make them tomorrow. Stupid wheel. At least it will be the last time I have to use it. I brought my umbrella with me because the sky was gray, and on the way to class I sighted the muskrat on the bank of the stream. It was biting off and collecting grass in its mouth. Perhaps for a nest? Or maybe it's just trying to be prepared. I ended up needing my umbrella, but not for rain. It snowed again. Big hunks of snow. I was annoyed at first, but the umbrella kept it from sticking to my ears and it created this fun slushy mixture that coated the sidewalks. I did a sort of march through it so that my boots clomped with a smack with each step. It made a neat sound. I had fun smacking my big black boots against the sidewalk and covering my head with my red umbrella so no one knew who I was.
I stopped at the bookstore after film class and bought a lot of watercolor supplies. I used them later to make this lovely badger "masterpiece" (ha ha ha). Before that, however, I went to fencing and lost to Jake, then won against Garry and the little 12-year-old girl and her father. It is fun to stab people more than they stab you. It is just plain fun to win. There is another tournament this Saturday. I will go, and I hope I win some.
Also, as you may notice (if you happen to scroll down to the bottom of the main page), I have added a guestbook to my site. This is just something fun so I can get a basic idea of who may actually come here.
I have a tough shell and I'm stabbed every other day of the week so I figure any criticism will not harm me too much. In fact - I welcome constructive criticism. I am always looking to improve my art and writing.
Hmmm...I wonder...Who will be the first to sign my book? (GRIN)
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