The family is gone. Gone to New York City. But I had to stay home. Again. I don't mind so much, I can get some things done without interruption, but I'm a little jealous cause they're going to the MOMA and my favorite Japanese store and I'm not.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get much done cause I spent 2, 2andahalf days sick in bed. I did read several books, but not any sketching or drawing. Well I've got two more days though. I guess I better get out the brushes and get cracking.
My problem though is lately I've spread myself out to thin. Pursuing several different artistic directions all at the same time. Now I'm not sure what to do with myself. I need to pick one and stick to that direction for a while. But I can't decide which one. Choosing soon is of the essence because I only have two days left to be as messy and scattered as I need to be to get something accomplished and then clean up before they get back. This is not an ideal predicament for a Gemini to be in. One side will have to take over here in order to get the job. Hmm, but which one?
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Hi neighbor. Would you "Like" my Facebook page?
Just created my Facebook page for the Nasty Dan Studios; something I'd intended to do for years now. Scanning photos, artwork, creating links, make sure they work, all the typing, blah, blah, blah... It's just a lot of initial work to get these things started you know. I hope you get a chance to check it out: search Nasty Dan Studios or click the new badge in the corner down there. :)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
When will we end America's fascination with the automobile?
I, for one, am ready to give mine up. I would gladly ride my bike rather than drive my car. Only problem is Jacksonville is a commuter town and I have a commuter job. As a substitute teacher for Duval County Public Schools, I can travel, literally, anywhere within the limits of the largest city (land mass) in the United States. It would make my job pretty difficult to get to if I had to ride my bike everyday. The bus system (JTA) is not so bad IMHO, contrarily to many others in town. I've been very lucky in that my job has never been more than approximately 1 to 3 blocks from a bus stop. My house, also, is right across the street from a bus stop. Buses in Jacksonville will also allow passengers to hang their bicycles on the front of the bus.
Jacksonville has major road construction going on all over town. Unfortunately, the city's answer to any traffic problem is to expand the infrastructure. Simply add lanes and that should solve the dilemma. But it only exaserbates it: more lanes, more cars, more jams, bigger jams, more rage, more polution, more heat into the air, etc.
I wouldn't mind so much if we tore up the majority of our asphalt and went back to horseback riding. It would solve an awful lot of problems all at once: lots of new jobs (taking out asphalt, breeding and grooming and boarding horses, road upkeep and clean up, etc.), better for the enviroment, encourage people to work where they live, less anger, horses have a documented calming effect on people, and much more.
I also love cars. I especially love old cars. I grew up in the late 60's and early 70's, the era of the muscle car. I love the look and sounds of 'em: Chevelle, Camaro, Mustang, GTO, Challenger. I love old luxury cars. I love to stare and wonder at the really old ones: Lincoln Phaeton, LaSalle, Model-T, Pierce Arrow. I am not saying get rid of all the cars. But how about collecting insted of driving everyday. I mean, does anyone really love their Ford Taurus Wagon or their Econoline transporter van? Who needs 'em?
There are an awful lot of things displayed in museums that people thought they could never live without. How about we do the same with the automobile.
Jacksonville has major road construction going on all over town. Unfortunately, the city's answer to any traffic problem is to expand the infrastructure. Simply add lanes and that should solve the dilemma. But it only exaserbates it: more lanes, more cars, more jams, bigger jams, more rage, more polution, more heat into the air, etc.
I wouldn't mind so much if we tore up the majority of our asphalt and went back to horseback riding. It would solve an awful lot of problems all at once: lots of new jobs (taking out asphalt, breeding and grooming and boarding horses, road upkeep and clean up, etc.), better for the enviroment, encourage people to work where they live, less anger, horses have a documented calming effect on people, and much more.
I also love cars. I especially love old cars. I grew up in the late 60's and early 70's, the era of the muscle car. I love the look and sounds of 'em: Chevelle, Camaro, Mustang, GTO, Challenger. I love old luxury cars. I love to stare and wonder at the really old ones: Lincoln Phaeton, LaSalle, Model-T, Pierce Arrow. I am not saying get rid of all the cars. But how about collecting insted of driving everyday. I mean, does anyone really love their Ford Taurus Wagon or their Econoline transporter van? Who needs 'em?
There are an awful lot of things displayed in museums that people thought they could never live without. How about we do the same with the automobile.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Life and death in the gulf
A scoop of water out of the Gulf of Mexico.
This poor bird picked the wrong place to land along the shore near Louisiana. Let's hope he made it through.
This guy didn't make it.
Do we really need oil and our oiled machines this badly?
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Maicon's dazzling ball control and goal are worth drooling over
Saw this article on YahooSports. An awesome display of foot skill.
Inter Milan defender Maicon spectacularly broke a 0-0 deadlock in the 75th minute of Friday's Derby d'Italia against Juventus with a superb display of juggling that he turned into a perfect volley out of the reach of Juve goalkeeper Gigi Buffon. A man up following Momo Sissoko's red card in the 37th minute, Inter sealed the victory that put them back atop Serie A with a second goal from Samuel Eto'o in stoppage time, sending Juventus fans already demanding a refund on their season tickets into a slightly deeper depression.
After the match, Eto'o was quick to echo the immediate praise for his teammate's display, saying, "I think Maicon scored the best goal of the season so far." And it's easy to agree.
Whether it wins that arbitrary superlative or not, it was certainly enough to conjure comparisons to Maicon's fellow Brazilian and Milan rival Ronaldinho and remind us all ahead of the World Cup why the Samba Kings are so dangerous. Even their defenders can do that.
Here's the article link
http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/sow_experts/post/Maicon-s-dazzling-ball-control-and-goal-are-wort?urn=sow,234865
Inter Milan defender Maicon spectacularly broke a 0-0 deadlock in the 75th minute of Friday's Derby d'Italia against Juventus with a superb display of juggling that he turned into a perfect volley out of the reach of Juve goalkeeper Gigi Buffon. A man up following Momo Sissoko's red card in the 37th minute, Inter sealed the victory that put them back atop Serie A with a second goal from Samuel Eto'o in stoppage time, sending Juventus fans already demanding a refund on their season tickets into a slightly deeper depression.
After the match, Eto'o was quick to echo the immediate praise for his teammate's display, saying, "I think Maicon scored the best goal of the season so far." And it's easy to agree.
Whether it wins that arbitrary superlative or not, it was certainly enough to conjure comparisons to Maicon's fellow Brazilian and Milan rival Ronaldinho and remind us all ahead of the World Cup why the Samba Kings are so dangerous. Even their defenders can do that.
Here's the article link
http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/sow_experts/post/Maicon-s-dazzling-ball-control-and-goal-are-wort?urn=sow,234865
Friday, March 12, 2010
Some stand up young women
U.S. U-17 women beat Haiti 9-0, then offer hugs
By Brooks Peck
On Wednesday, the U.S. women's under-17 team defeated Haiti 9-0 in their first qualifying match for the CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championships in Costa Rica. Once the final whistle blew, Haitian goalkeeper Alexandra Coby was so overwhelmed with emotion that she dropped to the pitch, weeping. It was all just too much for her and understandably so -- losing by such a harsh margin, even to a much better team, is always difficult to take, but given that Haiti is in the midst of trying to recover from the devastating earthquake that ravaged the Caribbean nation's capital two months ago and left hundreds of thousands of people dead, there was much more saddling these girls than just a lost game.
And the U.S. team saw that. As Haiti's coach helped the crying goalkeeper to her feet, U.S. goalie Bryane Heaberlin walked the length of the pitch, gave Coby a hug and didn't let go. The rest of the U.S. team soon joined her, circling around the two goalkeepers for a long group hug that left the entire squad in tears.
Said Heaberlin to USsoccer.com:
“I saw her crying and that was pretty hard for me to see. She’s a 'keeper and we have that bond. I knew that she had probably lost people close to her, and when she goes home she might not have anywhere to go. I gave her a big hug and told her she did great. She came to compete in this tournament despite all that she’s been through and I have tremendous respect for her.”
Haiti's participation in the tournament despite all that's going on back home for them has been the talk of the competition and the team's determination and bravery hasn't been lost on their opponents. Added U.S. defender Olivia Brannon:
“It just put everything into perspective. It makes you realize what is truly important, your family, having a roof over your head, and having food on the table. We take all those things for granted. I had my mom in the stands cheering for me tonight. Some of these girls might never have that again.”
So while the match itself may have seemed like piling on, it should be pointed out that the U.S. team didn't pander to their Haitian counterparts, instead showing them the respect of playing hard the whole game before sharing their true feelings and consolations after the final whistle. And these young Haitian girls will hopefully go back knowing that they're not alone.
By Brooks Peck
On Wednesday, the U.S. women's under-17 team defeated Haiti 9-0 in their first qualifying match for the CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championships in Costa Rica. Once the final whistle blew, Haitian goalkeeper Alexandra Coby was so overwhelmed with emotion that she dropped to the pitch, weeping. It was all just too much for her and understandably so -- losing by such a harsh margin, even to a much better team, is always difficult to take, but given that Haiti is in the midst of trying to recover from the devastating earthquake that ravaged the Caribbean nation's capital two months ago and left hundreds of thousands of people dead, there was much more saddling these girls than just a lost game.
And the U.S. team saw that. As Haiti's coach helped the crying goalkeeper to her feet, U.S. goalie Bryane Heaberlin walked the length of the pitch, gave Coby a hug and didn't let go. The rest of the U.S. team soon joined her, circling around the two goalkeepers for a long group hug that left the entire squad in tears.
Said Heaberlin to USsoccer.com:
“I saw her crying and that was pretty hard for me to see. She’s a 'keeper and we have that bond. I knew that she had probably lost people close to her, and when she goes home she might not have anywhere to go. I gave her a big hug and told her she did great. She came to compete in this tournament despite all that she’s been through and I have tremendous respect for her.”
Haiti's participation in the tournament despite all that's going on back home for them has been the talk of the competition and the team's determination and bravery hasn't been lost on their opponents. Added U.S. defender Olivia Brannon:
“It just put everything into perspective. It makes you realize what is truly important, your family, having a roof over your head, and having food on the table. We take all those things for granted. I had my mom in the stands cheering for me tonight. Some of these girls might never have that again.”
So while the match itself may have seemed like piling on, it should be pointed out that the U.S. team didn't pander to their Haitian counterparts, instead showing them the respect of playing hard the whole game before sharing their true feelings and consolations after the final whistle. And these young Haitian girls will hopefully go back knowing that they're not alone.
Photo: USsoccer.com
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Muppets are awesome!
This is quite possibly the funniest video ever. Well, maybe not, but it certainly makes me smile and laugh every time I see it. (especially at 2:41.)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
My current obsession
I picked up this magazine at Kinokuniya in NYC, my favorite store (next to Chamblin Bookmine, Jacksonville). One of the models for the magazine is Yukina Kinoshita. She is now my model current obsession.
Google Image search for Yukina Kinoshita.
Google Image search for Yukina Kinoshita.
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