I have found it quicker/easier/more challenging to draw with straight ink lately. Without the pencil. Here’s the latest example of this technique:

STRAIGHT INK: Spontaneity is the key for now.

And then there’s Mr. Bearded Six-Eyes:

Quote on a friend’s email signature:

"We’re on this Earth to fart around, and don’t you let anyone tell you different."
—Kurt Vonnegut, jr.

Wise, wise words.

I’m thinking about moving to San Francisco. I figure it will be a good New York substitute without it being New York. I want to go back to a big city with a good public transportation system. Also, I’ve wanted to live in a place with palm trees for a long time, and I’d like to live in a similar area as all-time artists Richard Diebenkorn and Wayne Thiebaud. I think they both lived somewhere in California, if not actually San Francisco. Also, I’m interested in suddenly accidentally becoming gay.

I have a plan, but no plan B or plan C. Once step 1 in plan A is complete and I have a plan B and C, I may actually be on my way to San Francisco!

Plan A

1. Save $3,000
   OR
   secure a $30,000/yr web design job in the Bay Area
2. Rent a truck and drive myself and my computer to San Francisco
3. Put computer and stuff in storage
4. Get a room at the YMCA
5. Find shared housing
6. Find crap job if I don’t have web job
7. Try to scrape up enough rent money to stay (repeat monthly)

And I’ll see how far that plan goes. Plan B and C should cover some of the worst case scenarios, like running out of money too damn soon or not being able to find any housing or work anywhere.

I was just reading some journal entries from people on the livejournal, and it inspired me to write another entry. Usually, I think of good things to write whenever my computer is off. Then I forget about them.

So here’s today’s entry of importance:

I’m trying to get some of my paintings back from a local tax business/art gallery here in Iowa City, and I have found that is difficult to do when operating on this damned night-work sleeping schedule, which I will hopefully not be talking about much longer. I overslept about a half hour on my day off and missed the (kind of) appointment I had with the owner dude, so I will see him on a weekday, I imagine.

Furthermore, my good friend from the Kansas City Art Institute sent me a good CD of mp3s for Christmas, and I would be listening to those. Iron Maiden, Kraftwerk, David Bowie, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, and Grob are always good for a quality listen.

The other day I was having trouble falling asleep, so I thought of all the shitty short-term manual labor jobs I’ve had in the past and present. It was a good technique to get me tired, and I do recommend it.

I see it has been a while since I’d have writtened in here. And I guess now the while is over for a while.

Since the holiday season has just gone by, I suppose I could mention Christmas- and New Year’s-related topics. The clever would write "holidaze" and that is alright with me. I will write a list in a businesslike manner:

Christmas:

• 7 days in Topeka, KS
• Completely flipped my sleeping schedule to be awake during the day
• "Lucky," the family cat, put to sleep
• Some grieving
• Many card games
• Met my mom’s boyfriend
• Got some good Boogie Down Productions CDs
• Turned 25 years old
• Got the digital camera I’d been saving for
• Sat around
• Nightly walks with the dog

New Year’s:

• Midnight, New Year’s Eve passed without incident
• Because I was stocking ice cream toppings at the grocery store
• Wrote ‘2003′ for first time on my rent check
• Long lost friends visit unexpectedly on New Year’s
• We go to a nearly empty bar
• Drink a beer
• Go to work

And that was my holiday season, boring or not. The 7 days off work did much good, though.