My friend Michael Iverson's blog - his latest article is extremely well written and struck a chord with me. Agree with it or don't, it is well written and interesting to consider.
One False Step
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Sky Jelly Fish
I haven't been drawing a lot lately since I have been so busy with lab work and school. Today was a nice change to that by taking some acid with Jordan and drawing. We began by playing D&D, in which the characters were exploring a series of Dwarven tombs laid out according to genealogy of the Dwarven Thanes. After the acid started kicking in it was nigh impossible to keep focus and tell a story and I became entranced by my sketchpad.
The strangest sensation was feeling completely detached from my hands, not being cognizant of their working as I was drawing. It became as though my mind would visualize it and it would start magically flowing and appear on the paper. It was a lot of fun, and I got pretty lost in my own little world, as I tend to do when I draw.
There are lots of small vignettes, starting with the map of the Dwarven Thanes up in the right hand corner. In the middle, there is the Sky Jellyfish, who is sweeping across a plateau towards a city and melding into the clouds. Coming out of the clouds is a monster with a steam leak, which culminates in a shai-hulud (the worms from Dune.) To the bottom is a drippy cave of stalactites and an unholy toothed altar. Up at the top there is a mushroom cloud with a psychedelic skull which also kind of looks like a large tree rising up.
Though nowhere near as epic as 'Skycat and the World of Tomorrow' this is some solid art on my part, and I had a lot of fun drawing it.
The strangest sensation was feeling completely detached from my hands, not being cognizant of their working as I was drawing. It became as though my mind would visualize it and it would start magically flowing and appear on the paper. It was a lot of fun, and I got pretty lost in my own little world, as I tend to do when I draw.
There are lots of small vignettes, starting with the map of the Dwarven Thanes up in the right hand corner. In the middle, there is the Sky Jellyfish, who is sweeping across a plateau towards a city and melding into the clouds. Coming out of the clouds is a monster with a steam leak, which culminates in a shai-hulud (the worms from Dune.) To the bottom is a drippy cave of stalactites and an unholy toothed altar. Up at the top there is a mushroom cloud with a psychedelic skull which also kind of looks like a large tree rising up.
Though nowhere near as epic as 'Skycat and the World of Tomorrow' this is some solid art on my part, and I had a lot of fun drawing it.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Porch Times
I get home from work and school. Damn it's exhausting. Mentally I am exhausted, my body tense and uneasy from sitting at my bench or in lecture halls for 12 hours a day. My head is full of plasmid maps, organic molecule diagrams, and trying to remember what I have to do tomorrow. Change the media. Start a transformation. Will colonies be on my plates tomorrow? Are the incubators sterile enough? How much ethanol could I put in my coffee before I went blind? A whirlwind of molecular biology, technical manuals, and Post-it note messages buzz in my brain.
Time to leave that all behind.
I grab a cold beverage out of the fridge. Today it is a glass of water with lemon flavoured ice cubes. I take my sketchbook and sit outside on my balcony overlooking the lawn and L Street. My chair has a soft worn groove for my bony ass to sink into. Feet on the makeshift coffee table I begin to let my mind wander on the page. Max comes out, we start to talk about our days, get the vaporizer warm, and plan out our evening.
That's the essence of Porch Times. Outside, with a good place to sit, a drink or snack, good company and good conversations.
The old people of a bygone era founded Porch Times. Get some iced tea/lemonade or mint julep, watch the world go by. Talk about war, recession, the youth of today, gardening, or gossip about the neighbors. A time for relaxing with friends, catching up, and strengthening community. People wander by and join in, others leave - ebb and flow. Too many people and it becomes a gathering. No, the moment has to be intimate.
It seems our generation has forgotten Porch Times. Caught up in the digital gestalt of Facebook and Twittering, texting people incessantly on the newest iPhone, these are the communities we create - a false network of face value friendships and threadbare conversations. Fast life, fast drugs, fast failings at good living. In the end what will our generation have? Bad health, large debt, obsolete gadgets, and the existential despair that comes with disconnect from others.
I repeatedly find that The Greatest Generation had it right, that for all the war, depression, and hardships they endured, they knew how to make the most out of nothing and not let life get them down. They had just as much free time as we did, and in talking to my Grandparents and various elderly friends I have, were much happier that we are now. It is interesting to note that whenever I visit with them it becomes a Porch Time. In my own weird way, I feel like Porch Times is a tribute to The Greatest Generation, both in it's simplicity, social function, and appreciating free time.
Porch Times is more of an attitude than an activity, a mindset that sets the pace of living. Keep it simple, keep good company, and relax.
Time to leave that all behind.
I grab a cold beverage out of the fridge. Today it is a glass of water with lemon flavoured ice cubes. I take my sketchbook and sit outside on my balcony overlooking the lawn and L Street. My chair has a soft worn groove for my bony ass to sink into. Feet on the makeshift coffee table I begin to let my mind wander on the page. Max comes out, we start to talk about our days, get the vaporizer warm, and plan out our evening.
That's the essence of Porch Times. Outside, with a good place to sit, a drink or snack, good company and good conversations.
The old people of a bygone era founded Porch Times. Get some iced tea/lemonade or mint julep, watch the world go by. Talk about war, recession, the youth of today, gardening, or gossip about the neighbors. A time for relaxing with friends, catching up, and strengthening community. People wander by and join in, others leave - ebb and flow. Too many people and it becomes a gathering. No, the moment has to be intimate.
It seems our generation has forgotten Porch Times. Caught up in the digital gestalt of Facebook and Twittering, texting people incessantly on the newest iPhone, these are the communities we create - a false network of face value friendships and threadbare conversations. Fast life, fast drugs, fast failings at good living. In the end what will our generation have? Bad health, large debt, obsolete gadgets, and the existential despair that comes with disconnect from others.
I repeatedly find that The Greatest Generation had it right, that for all the war, depression, and hardships they endured, they knew how to make the most out of nothing and not let life get them down. They had just as much free time as we did, and in talking to my Grandparents and various elderly friends I have, were much happier that we are now. It is interesting to note that whenever I visit with them it becomes a Porch Time. In my own weird way, I feel like Porch Times is a tribute to The Greatest Generation, both in it's simplicity, social function, and appreciating free time.
Porch Times is more of an attitude than an activity, a mindset that sets the pace of living. Keep it simple, keep good company, and relax.
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