Spring, or Whatever

I had to sneak into my neighbor's side yard to get this shot. Not too shabby considering it was taken with a cheap digital camera.

Anyway, my creative flow has come to a grinding halt because tis the season for allergies and debilitating migraines.

There is hope, however, because a couple of friends of mine are brainstorming ideas to create a video game and has hired me(!) to do concept art for them. I... just haven't done anything yet, (aside from a scene that I drunkenly scrawled onto a lined piece of paper when they first asked for my input), because it feels like I'm getting stabbed in the eyeballs whenever I see a white background or bright lights.

I'm also still working on that stuffed toy hot dog that I mentioned last time. I'm hand stitching it, because I have a need to make everything more difficult than it needs to be, so it's taking a long time, but I'm almost done. I should do some status update photos of the thing. Yes!

Chasing Memories

It's kind of amazing how the subtlest things can trigger a memory to bubble up from the furthest part of the back of your mind. Be it a song, a setting, a smell...

After work yesterday, I went to a bar called My X Wife's place to meet my friend Kevin to celebrate him leaving a shitty job. I arrived before he did, and because it was just barely 6 p.m., the bar was mostly empty. I went outside to the back patio, because the weather was beautiful, and sat alone for a little while wishing I had my sketchbook with me.

I remember once, when I was living in Berkeley, CA, sitting outside alone at a rice noodle restaurant. It was early in the day but past lunch time, so there were very few people about. About 15-20 feet away from me was a girl talking on her cell phone. It seemed to me that she was having a lover's quarrel, complete with nervous hands and slumped shoulders. After hanging up on the person she was speaking with, she screamed out loud in frustration, tears flowing freely down her face. Then she stopped. Took a deep breath and started laughing as she made her way down the sidewalk. Our eyes met and I gave her a look of sympathy. She gave me a look that said that she was completely unapologetic for her actions and public outcry.

Funny how a simple thing as sitting outside with no one else around for a little while brings about the strangest of memories.

On a completely different note, I'm working on a stuffed toy hotdog. I'll post pictures of it when I'm finished.