What you doin' on your back...

Today my son said to me-"Mom I want you to come into my room and see what I found."
And from the back of his closet he pulled out the record player.

This is exactly what you think it is. It's a Fisher Price record player from the 70's.
This was not mine. My mom got rid of mine years ago. I never had a little kid one. Pretty sure I had my sister's hand me downs. I found this on ebay about 7 years ago and it works really well.

Now Melvin has told me not to play anything really good on it, so...

My son then said, "Let's play something on it."

Well of course, that's what having your own record player is all about.

So we raced downstairs in hopes of finding some 45's.

We found Melvin's very nice collection. The MonoMen,Robyn Hitchcock,XTC. This would not do. I had to find my records that no longer had sleeves and were a little jacked up already.

Those were in the basement.

And what did my son hear for the very first time ever on his record player?

Car Wash by Rose Royce
You Should Be Dancing by The Bee Gees
Born To Be Alive by Patrick Hernandez

and lastly

The Star Wars theme, which made me start singing like Bill Murray and brought the whole dance party to a crashing halt.


Yes these were all of mine from when I was about 9. I even wrote my name on the Bee Gees record. In defense, these all made great songs to skate to. To this day I will drop everything and dance to the Bee Gees.

I saw my devil,and I saw my deep blue sea...

This is the painting I sold at the coffehouse. My friends who bought it just gave me the money for it last night, so it's no longer mine. But it's in good hands. It's called the Village and I did after our trip to Amsterdam.

Still no word from the woman about the fundraiser. It surprises me how immature she has been. I'm still designing the poster for myself.

The fundraiser was to raise money and awareness about a medical condition called Fistula. So this is a case where a bunch of richies get together in snobtown and buy art and drink wine and feel great about themselves because they are helping a poor woman in an African country. Someone donated a horse. Sheesh. This is not my crowd.

I feel the...earth...move...under my feet

Have you ever been to a grocery store in your neighborhood that is not the greatest store in the world? You know the kind. Produce is not so fresh. You would never dream of buying fish. Even the coffee cake in the bakery is questionable. This is the supermarket you go to only in an emergency. In my case it was juice and pull ups for my son.

Maybe it was my cold that was making me completely dilusional and/or lost and abandoned, but as I was in the checkout aisle, I felt some terribly huge bump under my feet. And in that instant, I imagined that this A & P was on the northeastern fault line and this crack would open up and swallow this very sorry excuse for a store. Me, my gatoraid and diapers would vanish.

*My left foot is not really this disfigured. I drew this in less than a minute. I do not taut myself as Rembrandt, maybe Picasso, but never ever Rembrandt.

soon turned out, had a heart of glass

There is a reason why people shouldn't do things for free.

You get jerked around is what happens.

I'm not angry about this, I'm just stating a fact, that in case anyone has a crazy notion of doing anything creative for free, just be sure you know you are going to get screwed.


It all started when I was contacted by a woman who saw my work at the coffeehouse and asked if I could donate a piece to her fundraiser.

Sure. Oh and by the way do you need any design done for invitations and posters?

Oh yes thank you she said.


BUH.

Well the work was done, and changes after changes were made, and well basically
it doesn't even look like something I would do. Who knows what it's going to look like because the woman hasn't spoken to me since she went to the printers.

Very childish indeed.

I tried doing something like this before and of course it didn't work out.

Why can't people trust creatives to make something look great? Just take that leap of faith, knowing that all will be well. TRUST ME-I know what I'm doing. I have really good ideas.

There is a song I just heard about trying to be a rebel, and trying to be cool, but it's hard when everyone is doing it. Why does everyone think they have a right to say what is a good design or not?

This is a HUGE problem in the design world because everyone and their brother thinks they are qualified. Computers have fooled the masses.

Design has to be taken back. Or maybe it needs to be taken underground and we'll go from there.

Nobody knows...

A new painting that I'm not quite finished with. It's hanging in my son's bedroom because there are no other free walls in the house. That's why I have to sell more so I can paint more. And yet I still paint more...It's terrible. I have cut down on so many personal items, in preparation for the "move" yet I have tons of paintings. i would have a moving van of canvases. Why can't a nice gallery just take all my work so I can move forward?

or believe a thing you've heard...

Here's to you Nicola and Bart...

Sometimes the most unexpected things happen and will forever change your life.

It could be small or huge. Either the event or the actual thing.


We just watched a movie last night-some of you may have seen it-"Me and You and Everyone We Know". This movie really struck a chord with me. Here is the writer, director and star of this very sweet and unexpected movie. It just proves to me that people can create lovely works of art. Music, paintings, novels, movies. It can be done and the world is a better place for this art. I just feel I get so trapped and stuck sometimes but this movie has given me hope, a light if you will.

I'll beam you up...

Space noise. Have you ever picked up a ringing phone and all you hear on the other side is outer space noise? We get it a lot. I'd like to think Melvin and I are being watched by very intelligent aliens, but it's more like big brother is down the road. Of course there is always "The Ring".


Which brings me to a very funny,urban legend of sorts that happened to me. I think it must have been 6 years ago when I received this email.

Hello,
If you are a Time Traveler I am going to need the following:

1. A modified mind warping Dimensional Warp Generator # 52 4350a series wrist watch with memory adapter.

2. Reliable carbon based, or silicon based time transducing capacitor.

I need a reliable source!! Please only reply if you are reliable. Send a (SEPARATE) email to me at:Tomnwrr@aol.com



Has anyone heard of this legend?