Maxwell TALKS!

Ah, This Crazy Life!

Today, being the first day back to work, after the New Year; I'm doing some 'virtual house cleaning', in a manner of speaking. I'm logging on to blogs, social media and my web site, to change, firstly, the date to 2015, and to dust off each web presence. I've been lacking on SoNets, this past year. Sometimes to keep from wasting time - and don't take that the wrong way, we all know 'chatting' can be a great time suck - and yes, I DO enjoy passing time with you, just not ALL the time. No, it's more because I've had much to contend with in 2014. Work eats up most of that time, my family is a close second, and I am ashamed to say, my friends have come in a scant third. Forgive me. Please.

This is the first Monday, in a very long time, that I haven't had any work in. I do have assignments waiting to be assigned; just not right at this very moment - last minute tweaks or something. Thus, I pick up my 'broom' and whisk away! I need to 'whisk' more often. I checked a blog of mine, in which the last post was exactly a year ago, today. Unbelievable, but true. My biggest challenge will be my web site. I may have to bring out the 'big guns' for that - how does one use a commercial steam vac to a web site? I will soon find out!

Acutually, my biggest challenge will be keeping this, this virtual homestead, this "presence", in order. It can't be swept under the rug, domestically speaking, but it can be streamlined. Time to get rid of the addresses that 'don't fit' or are 'out of style' - like those old clothes or crazy things stored in the back room, that you 'thought you should keep', at the time.

I always say, that in every situation, you have a choice. Maybe not much of one, but a choice, nonetheless. I could choose not to have any social media presence, but that would mean a hell of a lot more work, as far as getting my work "out there" is, than on the 'Net. So, here, I am.

So, please excuse me, I have some cleaning to do.

 

 

After the fact...

... but, better late than never. So it's December 26th? So what? Happy Holidays! 

Don't even tell me that it's 'over' - you know it's not! You're eatin' those leftovers right now. You'll dip into the Nog, one more time - at least. The New Year is right around the corner and you know you'll be revelling days before it gets here.

It's THE HOLIDAY SEASON. Make some Merry. Count your blessings. Give some Joy. 

I still have gifts to give; laughs to share; and I'm doin' it 'til the end of the year.

"It ain't over, 'til it's over!"

86 Years, The Mouse has a Milestone

The oft idolized... as well as sometimes villianized for being the face of a corporation; Mickey Mouse was 86 years old yesterday.  Say what you will about Disney, or how you feel about thier cartoons; the Mouse has done okay for himself. 

I still have my musical Mickey Mouse watch, given as a present many years ago. I suppose I kept it mainly out of nostalgia - I said I'd like to get it fixed and never did - but really, well, I grew up with the Mouse. The watch played the "Mickey Mouse Club" theme, and possibly, my least favorite song, "It's a Small World" (if you've ever experienced the "Small World" ride at one of the theme parks, there's a good chance you feel the same way). 

Regardless of how you feel about the corporation, you have to admit that there's something ingratiating about the Mouse. Perhaps 'nice guys' don't 'always finish last'.

After all, he is an American Icon, even to the French, who seem to love/hate him. N'es pas?

That's staying power.

 

 

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I'd Never Seen A Man On Fire… Until I Witnessed Robin Williams

I am at the age when the things that are familiar to me; the people, places and events - that have always been with me - are now in flux and change. Those same people, places and events have been in change; but the movement was slow, for so many years, that everything seemed as though it would always be as it always had been. That is an over simplification - I'm not that shallow - it's that word "familiar"; that made all seem safe, there, and forever. Taken for granted, sometimes overlooked; until you see them again with new eyes.

It's funny how major public figures find their way into your life. You may never, ever meet these people, but somehow they become "someone you know". When their lives change, you may comment on the change, as though they lived next door. You may love them or hate them, but they've had an impact on your life. I feel sad today.

When Robin Williams came on the scene it was a jolt of lightening out of nowhere. The wilder he was, the more we wanted. I worked for an apparel company at the time - graphic tees were the rage then, as now, and the big thing was transfer prints - "Nanu-Nanu" was everywhere. Everyone I knew was talking about "Mork from Ork". The Media exploded with this guy. We were taken in by his comedy and overcome by his humanity. 

I think it was the early '80's, when friends and I went to see him perform, here in the 'Burgh. He was a manic fireball - all over the stage - it was pure joy.

It was post Belushi, post drug days for him; as part of the show, he'd mentioned that he was 'clean'. At the time I think most thought he'd just 'got out of it'; the whole drug scene was taking a turn. Didn't turn far enough, I guess. Back then, there wasn't a thought of what might really be behind using drugs, so many did. Some walked away and lived their lives, others weren't so lucky. Even without drugs, Mr. Williams was a Man on Fire.

I actually bought this pin, this 'shooting star', as it was supposedly made by the artist who did the pins on "Mork's" rainbow suspenders. I can't believe I still have it now, it's kind of funky and faded. But it was all part of the hype, the cult of celebrity. I was a kid then, and Robin Williams was irresistable. He was a comic voice of the generation - wild fun.

As we aged, he aged, but he never let us down. We saw other facets of his brilliance, not only did we laugh, but we wiped a tear. We got the full spectrum. Not many crossover and do it, and do it well. On the outside, even as an older man, he was still 'on fire', with little chance of burning out.

Real life intervenes. It's seldom like what is shown in the media. 

Back in the day, I was asked to do a caricature of Robin Williams. I don't know where the final one is, but this (right), was a reject. It was too 'all over the place' for the client. It's really not a great likeness; it was unfinished - you can still see the pencil lines and "white-out" touch ups - but what I did like about it was that it WAS all over the place. If you'd seen him perform, you'd agree. When you do caricatures of celebrities, and though you don't, you may think you know them. You do, if you even only know a little about them, get a sense of them. At the time, I remember thinking, how long will this guy sustain this roaring flame that is his persona.

I think as time went on, I just figured he had figured it out and was going on to the next phase in his life. With a touch of "irreverence" at every turn - much to our delight.

As I said, real life intevenes. So sorry that I was wrong. Thanks for the humor and humanity.

R.I.P. Robin Williams.

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The Man who designed The Alien

H. R. Giger, the man who designed The Alein of the movie Aliens, passed away yesterday at the age of 74. His Alien design scared the bejeezus out of me the first time I saw that movie - which was enhanced by seeing it at the old Warner Theater, with it's curved screen, in downtown Pittsburgh.

Giger was an amazing artist, and his subject matter was a surreal - natural and unnatural; organic and man-made. Somewhere, even beyond 'fantasy'.

Find out more at Charley Parker's site: Lines and Colors: http://linesandcolors.com/

 

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Okay, I can't resist...

... May the 4th be with you! There I said it... I had to - no really I did!

With the exception of some of the art from magazines in my morgue file; my one and only piece of Star Wars paraphenalia. Of course it's Yoda. I most likely had received it as a gag gift in the early '80's. He's fully intact and still had all of his accouterments, including the snake. Unfortunately, the packaging is long gone, and his complexion may be a little faded. Still lookin' good old fella!

I was talking to a friend the other day about the announcement of a new Star Wars movie; we marveled at how old the "returnees" from the original film were. Of course, my friend and I have grey hair, so there's not much room for us to comment. But I think it's pretty safe to say that both of us will see the new movie at some time or other.

The passage of time is not lost on me. I've been made acutely aware of it in the past few years. No, not from a vanity perspective; aging happens; but more from what is and what could have been. I don't want to bring anyone down here; I have some regrets, but I don't dwell on them. Well, there are a few regrets I revisit from time to time, but they are events I had no control over. I won't go there, as I would imagine we all have those times in our lives. It strikes me as funny though, when talking to someone, and they say: "yeah, it's been 20, 30 years since..." - I am always surprised. I have a friend who always says ' I don't feel (enter age), I still feel 29' - every year on her birthday.

My awareness is from aging parents and growing children. From renewing acquaintances from years past and seeing how things that were once thought to be important by the masses are now on the wane, with each generation. I just attended a fund raiser, as a guest of a friend of mine, who does a program for a group who deals with people with infectious diseases such as HIV and AIDS. My cousin was, at one time, one of the leaders of this particular group, and I was recruited as the program designer at that time. As time went on, leadership changed, I became less involved. I was familiar with a few of the people in this organization, and since my friend had been working with them all this time later, we became reacquainted. We were talking about the crowd in attendance; when it struck me that there were very, very, few people under the age of 45 there. Less than a handfull, you might say. I hope this doesn't continue. I think this group needs support - even though there are advances, HIV and AIDS have not gone away. This isn't an 'old folks' issue, it is still very real. The organization is called Shepherd Wellness, check them out and show support.

Updates from previous posts: The Tulips

Well, my botanical geeks, there is no good news. The tulips went from looking healthy and lush (left); to dry and brown (no they got plenty of sun and water!); to a couple of hopeful shoots (they are very small and very light green in the right pic); to nothing at all. 

I will try to preserve the bulbs and try again for next year. 

 

 

Can't win 'em all.

 

 

 

However, with the arrival of Spring,my "neighbor" has been a busy fellow.

If you look closely, you can see he's renovating, yet again. Quite an Industrious Lad!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, after seeing him work, I feel inspired! Perhaps I'll knock out a wall.... er, maybe not!

 

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"Say Hello to my Leetle Friend..."

For months now, in my upstairs studio, I have been hearing this sound. Not all the time, just now and then.  The sound is kind of  like someone using an old rasp on a piece of wood, or like a really dull hand saw on a really old hunk of wood. My studio window looks out at the rooftops of neighboring houses. I kept looking out the window to the street or backyards below, when it became somewhat bothersome, to find noone around. I thought; "someone has some carpentry skills that leave much to be desired". But the sound was too frequent to think one of my neighbors was trying to put up shelves, play host of HGTV, or whatever. Then, I finally discovered that I have a new neighbor.

It would seem that there is actually a rather small "attic apartment" - that I was totally unaware of - in the house next door. Actually, I believe that is an old timey gutter. At any rate, a Mister Rocket J. Squirrel has moved in. Rumor has it he lives rent free - I bet he's a squatter. But, I will refrain from any further judgement or gossip; we have only met briefly. I will judge him on his merits as a neighbor.

Besides, if the rumor of rent free apartments gets around, Frank will have a hard time leasing one of his, the next time. He stresses about it too much already!

 

Mister Squirrel, however, is the culpret, in explaining that sound. With his tiny little teeth, he renovated the 'door' to his abode and seemingly, the inside of his 'one bedroom', as well. And, though it was not a dull saw, you can see it's some old wood.

You'll note that the previous building owners had nailed a piece of sheet metal over a hole, that another rodent had made, several years ago. Thinking, of course, that they'd solved the problem and out smarted the rest of their ilk. No, no, not so! It took no time for this one to realize that the metal patch made a wonderfully waterproof home. 

 

I guess you really 'can't fool Mother Nature',  or her children, for that matter. It always amazes me how "the wild", not only fits discretely into, but thrives in the Metropolis.

When he was outside, the other day, I was going to ask him if he watched HGTV... if that was where he garnered his knowledge of home renovation... but just like that, he was gone.

No, I wasn't snubbed, I just think he didn't hear me. Or maybe it was the cat watching him from next door...

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Celebration

Note: I posted this a couple of days ago... it never showed up on Facebook... let's try this again

Defrosted yet? Me neither. I can barely contain myself, when it comes to thoughts of Spring. Working and living in the same building sounds like a good thing? - right? In this weather - no outdoor commute, warm and toasty... Nope. Except for a few forays into the arctic for necessities (some would say a trip to a theater was a necessity!); I've been almost a 'shut-in'. No, not even a walk with my Canine Companion. He pokes his nose outside the door, and makes a hasty retreat to use the papers. It actually takes more time to dress for the cold and leash him up, than time spent outside. I crave a good walk, without the chance of frostbite. I hope February, just around the corner, provides more temperate days - let's say, oh.... maybe at the freezing mark!

Geez! One phrase - "cabin fever".

So, I haven't written much, because I've been busy. Good to be busy, just a lot of 'rush' jobs - it takes a toll after a few in a row. I get uber focused on work, sometimes. I still have work in house, it's just not marked 'rush'; gives me time to breathe. I thought I might throw down a couple of thoughts, while time is on my side.

To all you horticulturalists, that have been waiting with baited breath (she says facetiously), to find out whether or not my tulips have bloomed; the answer is: no. However, I do still have hope.

As you can see they have grown quite a bit since the last update. Originally, I was hoping they'd have taken off by Thanksgiving. Or was it Halloween, yeah, I think it was. Missed the mark, even Xmas was a bust. So, I turned to my Mom, "Madame Green Thumb", for advice. She told me that 'tulips were tricky', especially ones that were forced in a pot, in the first place. The fact that they poked through the soil, didn't mean they would acually bloom. She told me that tulips needed a 'cold spell' - I think in the weather we've had the past month or so, sitting beside the cold window, is 'spell' enough! I may just be right, the colder it got, the the taller they grew, with two new shoots poking through, too. The new shoots are growing even faster than the earlier ones. Nature is amazing. Just when you think you had the routine down, everything changes. I make no holiday predictions for the tulips this time... if they bloom on Presidents Day, they damned well better be red, white and blue!

I know, I could talk news, or Grammys, or about the wealth of lunacy out there - so much of it has happened since the beginning of the new year. I just really don't feel like it today. I'd rather hope for tulips. Or, I was out today, for a very short time. No, I didn't take The Rascal out, he refuses. Just errands that had to be attended to. I froze my butt off, but the sun sure felt good. I'm sort of at a 'primal human being' level, today. So talking about what's happening outside of my current experience, and environment - well I just don't want to. Not about what I'm working on, or what I will be doing later, or anything that seems 'newsy' about me. It's not narcissism, it's more sensory. Does that make sense? I don't want to tell the world that I just finished off a cup of raspberry herbal tea (though... I just did!) because I find it a self-involved triumph; and that I REALLY think you'd care to know about that particular 'news flash'. I just want to acknowledge the real, the simple. From one human to another.

Maybe I am thawing out. I'm getting feeling back in my fingers.

One last celebration of simple: Monday evening, I was looking through an art book and I left it on the coffee table, that night, thinking I would take it back to the studio the next morning. So, yesterday morning, I go through the normal motions... I am having my morning coffee and looking at the newspaper, while sitting on the couch. I get up and thoughtlessly toss my reading glasses.

When I return, I find Mona wearing them. Cracked me up. I know, I know, it doesn't take much. But it made me laugh. I had to take the pic. Once again, simple pleasure. 

Maybe I have been doing too much work; maybe I haven't been out in the world enough, of late; maybe I do have cabin fever... but I think when you go through overload, when you get the chance to breathe, you breathe deep. After that breath of (or sigh of) relief, for me, the obvious, the small, the simple, is what I first notice, what I appreciate.

And, you gotta admit, those glasses made a great landing!

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year

So, this is it, the last day of 2013. In reflection, for me at least, it was one very bumpy ride. I'll be glad to get off of this bus. 

No matter how, shall we say, 'uneven' the ride is, there are always smooth parts of the road, that make the ride worth taking to your destination. Here's hoping you hit the new, updated sections of the infrastructure, that will be 2014.

Like last year, I leave you with some art of The Year in Review.

 

The New York Times Notable Opinion Art 2013

 

I Hope It was Merry

Happy Holidays to All of you! I do hope that your Christmas was a great one. I apologize for not sending out my "hand made" e-cards this year; there were a couple of family-related and work issues that required my/our attention - it's a wonder that Frank and I had time to 'do' Christmas at all. However, Christmas worked itself out, it always does - somehow! Seeing family for a few hours, made up for the chaos of the past couple of months, believe me!

Since I was so late in sending you Greetings, I'm sending you to a web site, "Santa Classics", by a gentleman named Ed Wheeler. I hope it gives you an insight on a Cultural Icon's antics after The Big Day, participating in culture, over the milennia. With a wink and a smile.

Visit: http://www.santaclassics.com

 

 

 

Just an update... the tulips have yet to bloom, although it's several been weeks... hoping for tulips in the New Year... news update at 11:00...

 

 

 

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