Early Sunday..

Morning everyone. I've just taken some almost-burnt macaroons out of the oven and I've popped open a Sierra Nevada 'cause there's nothing better to do. Both my roommates are out and I don't feel like going to bed just yet.

This morning, Chad and Ben and I got up to clean the whole house. We cleaned the common areas and stopped there 'cause truly that's what matters. I proceeded to unpack my room a little, since I've lived here since May and I'm not yet out of boxes.

Now let me tell you something about having lived here since May. Smokey Park Highway is a noisy, noisy, noisy place. Sure I live off of it, but not all that far. Trains and trucks and more trucks and idiot rural people grinding their souped up engines at all hours of the night. I had some whopper dreams the first few weeks I was here. Nothing at all strange, by x-files standards, mind you, just really vivid ones.

Anyway, the house is great. Huge bedrooms (we're still trying to fill 4 of them so if you know anyone), a kitchen that could have swallowed my old apartment, room for a ping pong table and shuffle board.. 3 stories.. It's a great place, and I was glad to clean it this morning.

The owners go to my church and I'd hate it if they felt like a slew of raccoons was renting their place.

Anyway. At about 2 this afternoon I wound up at my studio where I made another creature. As soon as I got there I discovered I'd left my phone at home. Sucked 'cause I was supposed to make arrangements to grab a pint with my friend Luke. I wound up driving to his house within the prearranged time window to inform him of my phonelessness. The timing was perfect 'cause he was just back from the gym. I made a beer run and he was showered and changed by the time I got back.

It was great not having a phone on me today. I felt oddly free and undisturbed. Luke and I chatted a great while, even after his wife came home (her name's Anne.. she's a great lady). Roundabout 6 I made it back to the studio and got to hacking away at another stuffed toy, this one indicative of my having drained half a sixer. It has no legs. Not yet anyway.

I worked on that monster till 11:30 or so and came home to an empty house. I folded my clean towels from the dryer, made some macaroons (I bake. Shut up) and checked my email. The signal from the neighbor's house is nice and strong tonight so I figured I'd blog a bit.

I'm getting ready for the American Sewing Expo in Detroit next month where I'll be a lecturer and instructor. I'll be talking about various aspects of stuffed toy making, so I've got to produce study aides and info packets for handing out, plus I've got to make upwards of 20 creatures for "background noise" 'cause there'll be a TV crew. I can't wait. Finally people recognize my skills and what I can teach 'em and are willing to roll out the carpet and pay me to come impart my knowledge. I love being an artist. It's like growing up at Hogwarts. Being an artist is the greatest gift I've ever been given besides, of course, my salvation and that book of Pooh stories my mom got me when I turned 8.

Gotta run. Church at 10. That means I have 9 hours to get ready and I haven't even tasted a macaroon yet.

Much love to everyone!

El Move-O

Hi, Everyone.. I'm packing up my messy apartment so I can move to a new place in 5 weeks. I am an irrepressible slob living on my own, so the packing is going to be a challenge. I've got to clean everything first. There's probably more garbage in here than stuff to legitimately keep.

I'm going to check in with my organized, tidy friends and see how they would advise cleaning first, then moving.

Right now there are no free surfaces. Every table top, chair and couch (and half my bed) are covered in whatever landed there. I am powerless to pack anything until I separate the keepers from the non-keepers.

Then there's my busy schedule and my propensity to procrastinate. God help me.

Anyway, I'll be documenting this moving adventure here in this blog, because I think it'll be monumental. I'll free up my camera from the studio so I can snap a few shots here and there. Seriously, you won't believe what a sty this place is. I should just burn the apartment off the house and claim renter's insurance. Naaah.. They always bust people for that..

Right now I'm doing laundry. While that's going on I'll bring to light everything under my bed and couches. I may be surprised by what I find. There are several boxes I never unpacked when I moved here almost 3 years ago. Sakes!

Anyway.. Wish me luck!!

John

Etsy shop! Etsy shop!

Yep.. I finally took the pill and joined etsy. I've got HEEEEAPS of creatures I want to post and sell and expose to the world at large. Right now there's only one creature listed. Her name's Damelza. Go give her a shout!

Laters!

Jesus banter

So, I'm sitting at a café near my studio. I came over with one of my colleagues down here in the river district. Another artist showed up with some dusty index cards he found on the ground with what appear to be someone's bible study notes. The two colleagues read them and were chuckling.

All I have to say is a paraphrase of that hackneyed, yet apt, bit of scripture: Judge not lest ye be judged. Or something like that.

Which means, I won't judge those guys for laughing at someone else's musings about Jesus. Perhaps the index cards were amusing.

Anyway, I just read 'em. The handwriting was a bit cryptic and took me a sec to decipher. It wasn't messy, really, in fact, it was strangely graphic and square, like an architectural font.

The sentiments weren't unsound. From my colleagues' reactions I could tell they hadn't read them, rather I intuited they found it amusing that someone'd be writing about Jesus. Ah well.

The note cards basically encouraged people to pattern their thought patterns and habitual behaviors after Christ's example. No specific scriptures were referenced, but I got no red flags.

No spiritual debate followed. I wouldn't have had the time anyhow.

A Sesame Street Fave

It's been years since I've heard this song. I remember watching it on Sesame Street and being really engaged by the images. Those ducks with ears. Hoo man.. Freaky. It reminds me of the prevailing mentality of the original hippy movement's tail end, you know, when they all started having babies and getting jobs. I love this video. It reminds me of snow days when we got to hang out all day with dad and play with blocks. Everyone with an incredible dad say WHATSUUUUPP!!!

Getting up in the morning to go exercise is so ridiculously hard.

And I'm sore from yesterday morning's gym session.

Gosh what a strange place I go. It's definitely the Springfield of fitness centers. It's changed ownership several times in the past 2 years or so.

Anyway, the self dissatisfaction I'll feel today if I don't get off my sleepy backside and workout will certainly overpower the momentary inconvenience of waking up early.

Here I go!

Impending change of heart?

In light of my most recent post, about all that intellectual property stuff, I wonder if I'm holding tightly to something I've already lost.

Perhaps I should give free reign to designers to sell the work they make from my patterns. And perhaps I should approach Lark about another book.