Swimmin' Hole

I think this, even in its blockiness, captures it.

I actually spent a long time on a different version, and liked this better.

Man Or Astroman II

He swallowed the can whole.

Man Or Astroman

Two Analogies

Just wrote Mark:

I am in the middle of what I think is a breakthough.  I told Kim, the following two analogies seem appropriate:

1. I was riding my bike up the hill yesterday.  It was rather tough going, then I realized I had one more gear to click to.  I clicked to it, and everything got easier.  It wasn't a boost so much as less resistance.
2. The little lead weights on an out-a-balanced tire.  The whole car can shimmy.  You can ride it that way, and pull through, but a little adjustment, fundamental, balanced tires, can make a rough ride smooth.

Maybe that is just the swimming hole talkin'

Slackers

There are those on the trail running with the heart monitor trying to beat yesterday's record.

Then there are these guys.

Swimmin Hole

Houston Is Home

No matter.  I think Houston is home.

Wow.  How can that be?

It's more home than I expected.

Guess that's good.  I don't even understand.

I've changed.  Somethings do change.

Somethings keep changing.

Good deal.

Houston Compared To Austin On My Blog

Well, let's see... if I look at my blog, I see:

Houston: Buffalo Hump, Networked, Skeletons In The Attic, Cleaning, Storage, Back To Being A Mushpile

Austin: Blue Bonnets, Relaxing, Cactus And Flowers, A Little Elbow Cream

Hmmmm.... there's some kinda pattern

Blue Bonnets Miss Muffet

I get more comments here than on Facebook!  Their days are numbered!

Who really has 350 friends?  Come on!

HUGE Cloud Action!

I was watching this huge cloud formation today. Then this ball of a cloud billowed up and the cloud above opened... and the ball went inside it. It was monumental.

Central AC After All These Years

Kovi says that central airconditioning is "Inkeddible"

Relaxing

A Little Elbow Cream

I love the guy's hair.

One And Another

Girl - Ahhh

Guy - Dohhhh!

Camel's Hole?

I think that is the name of this place.

Cactus And Flowers

Weird Lizard

This guy made me jump.

Storage

The storage facility is weird.

Sunny D is piped in.

Long corridors.

I got my 5x10.

Corrugated tin.  Painted white.

A maze.

Memories.  In boxes.

Gotta run.  Brady Bunch!

Cleaning!

I cleaned out the Element today. I actually popped pieces and parts out e.g. the drinktray/emergency brake cover. Once popped out, was able to clean by scrubbing. I also *hosed* the backend out. The attic is empty. Bought tubs. In garage separating before going to storage. Also consolodated some stuff in drawers to tubs. Thinking about palette for interior.

Kaley showed me a welcome mat with the color scheme she likes. It's the same as I was thinking. Took pic on cell phone. If we can just push the boulder far enough, I think it will start rolling. Go. Go. Go!

 ---- later ----

Have most things boxed.  It's now a matter of packing loose items.  I'm tempted just to stuff it all in boxes and call it miscellaneous.

Closets, drawers, attic, shelves, pantries, linens, underneath beds, garage...  I want it all straight.

Push the boulder! 

Skeletons In The Attic

We don't have skeletons in our closet, ours are in our attic. This thing is part of probably the strangest thing I've made --- other than Kaley :P

 I now have the attic entirely clean.

Next.  Box and organize, then get to storage facility - neighbor Mark's old stompin' grounds :)

Mr. Egg Chicken Lives!

Going thru all the paintings in the attic. This little guy just jumped at me. It's called "Mr. Egg Chicken". The idea was earth and mars. He's earth sorta. He's standing on Mars. And why? What came first? The chicken or the egg? I thought, "Why not the chicken *and* the egg." So here is Mr. Egg Chicken. Painted this at Larry's while talking with Beefcake. There was a storm approaching that night.

The idea of the two circle eyes and semi-bent triangular nose had to do with modeling and math... and probably Paul Klee.


The bent triangle was most likely me thinking that no matter how hard you aim at perfect linear polygonal shapes, it's always bent.


The clouds are most likely gray, but most likely because I like gray on red.  But it coulda been the storm that night.


It all started from a doodle... probably something I drew for Kovi.


I realize that when I'm alone, I go further and further into an abstract abyss... but sometimes it's not an abyss and I find rest or something I'm looking for.  And sometimes I get to bring back what I found.


I showed Kim the first painting I did a moment ago.  In short, I was able to let go with paint... with the smears... the violence... just take it out...  The first time I drew off the lines and just let it get all messed up... then mess it up more... then scrape it off... destroy my own work... do "evil"... paint over something pretty with "voodoo"... ah... and then find beauty in it all.  Seeing things for the first time.  Shadows, color, lines, shape, light, darkness, projection, layers, times of day, texture... 

Dunno... I'm rambling... just seen 4 years of work...


What preceded that explosion was a constriction.  I don't know all what was going on, but so much was a peak at work, and then a sudden scattering.  Crazy time these last 5 years.  Really good in some sense.


Suppose it's all been a challenge I posed on myself.  And out the other end, if we are there yet, Mr. Egg Chicken and a Spoonbill :)

Networked

Wacom Tablet

I gotta a Wacom tablet today.

It wasn't real good for what I needed it for, but had fun with it.

It's neat that I was able to create what you see with a lot of fluidity.  Almost human.

Change

We are getting central air conditioning in our house. They requested we clean out the attic. I did something I told myself I wouldn't do. I rented a storage room. I've been dragging stuff out of the attic.  On a break right now. I'll decide how to compact/destroy it all later.

Floors partly done.

I know I need to do the countertops and sink, but it got to be too important!  I had semi-planned on using this years tax return (we overpaid) to finish it off.  After a family meeting, Kim and Kaley both said they wanted to plug it all into central AC.

Not saying we won't finish the kitchen.  I think one thing I like seeing is for several things to come together at once.

Kim has made several more applications to Austin Independent School District.  I feel like we are getting ready to move.  Even if we don't, and I doubt we will, I want a change and feel like I'm moving back into my own house with a fresh look on things.

I've done some changes in how I'm going about my work.  I'm real excited about it.  Think I'm going to be much happier than what I was doing before - not so much the *what*, but the *how*.

Obama is going to give a speech about the future of the space program in a half hour or so. I got hope!

Alcohol

It's not the things you say that you shouldn't
Not the things you do you shouldn't

It's the things you can't say because you couldn't
It's the things you don't do because you wouldn't
The things you never do
The things you won't do

It's not that times get more loud
It's that time get muffled, shuffled

It's not the connect
It's the disconnect
A replacement
A friend
An out

It's not that now will be bad
Tomorrow bad
Or the next day
And the next day
And the next day

It's all five minutes

The what?
The where?
The who?
The ha ha ha

It won't be that bad
It'll be okay
It'll all be good
It'll work out
It always does

Muffle, shuffle
Telescope, tunnel

It's all five minutes

For the woohoo
Less the aha

Aha
Ha ha

Bzzz
Next five minutes

72 Impala

My 72 Impala
Smelled of vinyl lava

Metallic Brown
AM Sound

Silk steering
Front end boat
Red needle
Bench seats
Hot Coke

Gimping The Buffalo Hump

Ur lips move but I cant hear what ur saying

Iiiiii, ohhh, iiiii

Have a buffalo hump....

Okay, okay, okay

Just a little pin prick

And the balloon will pop

And there will be an ahhh, oh ahhh

I smell the floating blimp

In Houston, And Thinking About A BuffALO Hump

You know what they say about Buffalo Humps.

It's a brain disorder.

Then you get a buffalo hump.

And ur face turns into a moon.

And ur hands feel like two balloons.

U r only coming thru in waves.

Buffalo Hump

I read about the brain tonight... and ended in a disorder called "Cushings Disease".  One symptom is "Buffalo Hump".  Another is "Moon Face".

Potomac Hickory

I got some flooring in today.  This time I got a different kind of pergo.  The planks are beveled.  It's called "Potomac Hickory".  I think it is the best choice I've made so far.  I also decided:

1. To *not* take out the underlay foam under the carpet.
2. To *not* take out the floor trim, and am going to put quarter round instead on existing floor trim
3. To *not* take out the carpet nail strip things as they are evil
4. I *did* install the vapor barrier

This is making it much faster and simpler... and I think it's okay if not better.

Potential To Overwhelmed

Well yesterday's "potential" seems almost "impossible" today.  How is it that I can slip so fast?  I actually did do some work on the house, cleaned garage, and of course got a full day of work work.

BUT, had a great time watching Kovi ride his bike.  He had a little wreck with Steven while riding ("racing Steven") around the circle.  Pretty sure it was Kovi's fault, and Kovi's idea. He was real excited about the whole thing.  Only thing was, Kovi didn't get the worst end of the wreck.  Steven hit *hard* on his back on the pavement.

He's funny.

Homies

Good to hang out with the guys on the circle here.  Takes a long time to make friends that will look out, hang out and help each other.

On a side note, I cleaned out the closet of "the studio", cleaned the room, ripped the carpet and have gone to Home Depot and purchased 160 square feet of "Potomac Hickory".

Myles has got wood that needs to be liquidated.  I'm really wanting some for the countertops.  Myles' boss was canned and a guy from San Antonio took over.  Things have turned around and they are doing well.

Brian hooked Mark up with a job at Powell Industries.  Loved the story of the physical they give at Powell.

Larry got a raise for kicking a double s.  I am jealous of "the door".  Sorry I missed the shrimp :(  Had fun painting invisible paints with Chloe.  She told me to "sit down" two times tonight :)

When does football season start?  Good times.

Potential, Not Problem

It's good to be home.  It's weird when you are rested how things change.  I look at the house and it looks like it has so much *potential*.  I look at the work I've done, and it looks good.  Just needs some more.  A lot more.  This can work.  Ahhh.  I'm ready.

It's cool.  I love feeling better.  Not wired, excited, hyper... just different, maybe more realistic.  No hurry.  This is good.

I really like the painting in the "computer room".

Our house is 70'sh.  Kinda like it.  I'm not going to be in love with it.  I don't think, but maybe.  The houses in the newer areas are really really nice, but this is like fixing up a Cordoba or a Cutless Supreme.    I'm driving a Cutless Supreme, 30 years after the fact :)

Funny.

Kim is in the garden.  She gave me the first strawberry of the year as a welcome home gift.

Let's get it together.  This is good.  Really good.  I love my job.  I love Kovi, Kaley and Kim.

Houston, We Have A Problem

I just wrote Larry:

I'm not the only one "swirling with emotion".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jonathanamos/2010/04/charlie.shtml

I dreamt last night that the space shuttle crashed into the space station and the whole thing blew up.  It was horrible.

Here is the deal for the 15th:

Next week, on 15 April, Barack Obama will visit Florida's Space Coast to take part in a special conference.

I am thinking of staying here, in Austin, until the speech.  I want some signature moment to come back.  Like the article said:

Simply put - many Americans want to know where US astronauts are going, in which ship and when; and right now "they just don't get it".

and:

There is a lot of emotion swirling around the American space agency (Nasa) at the moment, and it's not just among the thousands of US space workers who're losing their jobs.

It's not just about a job.

Shuttle becomes like a person to them, and so they're very attached to them and as each vehicle flies its last flight, they have a really difficult time. Unless you've been in this programme, people don't understand that; and they think we're crazy.

But the change from the shuttle is for something new:

It is time to move on. It's incredibly important for Nasa to try to get to the point where we can begin to explore again. [That's] not to say that what we've done in low-Earth orbit is not exploration.

And cutting is what we have to do, in order to do that:

It would cost something on the order of $2-3bn a year to keep the shuttle flying. It's a very expensive vehicle to maintain and operate.

What you'll probably see after that is:

Government "pig's ear".

Who knows.  Honestly, I don't think much is going to come out of the speech.  Honestly, I like Obama.  I really expected something else.  He keeps surprising me in the wrong way.  And I'm surprised with myself for thinking that on the 15th he's gonna roll out something unexpectedly good.  Bets are, he's not.  He's got a plateful and so did Bush.  It's funny, after a president has been out of office, you start getting these better memories, especially in the case of the goodtimes surrounding Clinton.  I laugh when I think about Clinton.  With Obama, I keep saying, "Wha?"

Extreme Home Makeover

Saw the episode where the guys Kim has helped gets a new house.  They are foster parents and have raised several kids.  We have a couple friends who have fostered two kids.
Those are really great people.  All the best to them.

Back To Being A Mush Pile

Draggin' to wake up. Plans: church, easter ugg hent at memaw&pa's, back to mamaw's. I don't want to go back to Houston! Kaley is decidedly against moving. It's that dang drama theater! I'll probly be glad to be back... and will probly start ripping up old carpet, putting in new flooring, finish kitchen, finish taxes for AC etc. 

BUT THEN, it will set in... and I will become that pile of stressed mush again. 

 

No! No! No!

Daddy-Daughter Date

Kaley and I are headed to the trails!  5 miles of trails to catching a bus.  Going out to eat.  Seeing the movie and film museum deal at UT.  Who knows.