Chicago Trip - The Aftermath

We’re back from Chicago

And more or less whole

Though I am a bit battered and bruised

My lumbar is sore

And my right shin is, too

All that driving left me quite abused

Not to mention my nerves

They’re as frayed as old thread

After driving through rush hour’s peak

With the bicycles constantly

Darting around

I think that I’ll sleep for a week

Plus walking all day

Left my feet feeling sore

I’ve been hobbling ‘round like a fool

And this morning while swimming

Both hands and one wrist

Were scraped red and raw by the pool

But luckily one part

Is not yet worn out

It’s a thing I work hard to maintain

It’s simply a skill

My ability to

Continually gripe and complain!

Chicago Trip

Going on a trip

Going to the Windy City

I hope it doesn’t rain

And the weather stays real pretty

We’ll see a lot of stuff

Like the big ol’ Field Museum

We’ll see dinosaurs and mummies

Yeah, I’d rather see than be ‘em

Perhaps go to IKEA

Perhaps stay overnight

I hope the things we see and do

Will fill us with delight

But one thing is for certain

It will be a busy day

So I’ll post for Tuesday now

And I hope that that’s okay

Fleas

This post falls squarely under the category of "be careful what you wish for". Under yesterday's post, there was a comment about wanting to see a short-haired flea (Hi, Mom!). So here, through the magic of digital painting with layers, I present - a flea!

"Hey, how's it goin'?"

Now, aside from some creepy body hairs, this flea is bald. So behold - the short-haired flea!

"Not bad, but I personally prefer something longer."

Hmmm... longer? Okay - how about this...

"Better - it's got more volume, but it's a little too girly."

Too girly, huh? Well, maybe something a little more hardcore?

"Okay - now we're getting somewhere! I like the musician vibe, but purple? Really?

Long-haired musicians? I can give you the long-haired musician look!

"NO! No, no, no, no, no! C'mon man, just give me something awesome!"

Okay, okay. I've got one more thing to try...

"Awwww, yeeeaaahhh!  That's it, right there!"

Just talkin' about fleas.

(And we can dig it!)

New Haircut

Last night when nobody could see

My hair was cut close as a flea

When I looked in the mirror

It seemed too short, I fear

But since then it’s been growing on me

Night Sky

More playing around with digital painting. This (probably) isn't the final picture, but it might make a nice background for something.

Polar Bear

Tonight while we were out shopping, my youngest daughter found a polar bear toy and said I should draw a polar bear. Who am I to argue with that kind of logic?

The Strange Little House

Past the east edge of town where the grass starts to curl

Find a winding dirt road that’s designed to confound

There you’ll find a strange house and a strange little girl

If she’s in the right mood she might show you around

She might start in the garden with all the raised beds

Filled with juniper bushes so she can make gin 

Or her park full of art with its hundreds of heads

They’re all sculpted in silver and copper and tin

She’ll point out the parapets high overhead

With a couple of cupolas crowning the crest

There are dozens of dormers with lintels of lead

Where the pigeons all preen and the nightingales nest

And then if you’re lucky you’ll stop by the pond

It surrounds a small island with one mighty oak

But don’t get too close, cause the little girl’s fond

Of pushing folks in - her idea of a joke

But once you have dried she might take you inside

Through the cavernous kitchens with odors galore

Of the foods she has baked and charbroiled and fried

You’ll be fed some of each, then she’ll offer you more

And then when you’re done you’ll move to the next room

It’s the library piled with books to the sky

There are lamps all around to dispel any gloom

If you read like I do then you might start to cry

And she’ll show you the rest, it will all be a blur

Of fountains and music and even a hen

Then she’ll drive you back home with herself as chauffeur

And she’ll say, “Thanks for visiting. Don’t come again.” 

(This poem was inspired by a girl at camp this week who loves saying the word "cupola" over and over. The phrase "a couple of cupolas" became stuck in my head and I built the rest of the poem around it.)

Dog Days

In honor of National Tell an Old Joke Day:

What did the dog say when he sat on the sandpaper?

"Ruff!"

Poses

Nothing too exciting tonight. Just practicing getting expressive poses out of minimal lines...

Looking Home

Have you ever wondered

What an alien might see

As he cruised the Solar System

And looked back at you and me?

Well now we’ve got a picture

Under Saturn’s dusty rings

And if a photo made a sound

This is the kind that sings

The rings are so majestic

As they’re lit up from behind

Cause the Sun’s blocked by the planet

But what really blows my mind

Is the little speck beneath them

Like a hole poked by a pin

That’s the Earth and moon and everyone

Who’s ever, ever been

And all our books and history

Emotions so distraught

All life and love and everything

Is wrapped up in that spot

But if you’re feeling tiny

In a cosmos that’s so vast

Remember we’ve a special skill

Unique and unsurpassed

We’re the only beings capable

Of building probes to roam

The icy depths of outer space

Then turn and look back home

Taken by the Cassini spacecraft, July 19, 2013

National Ice Cream Day!

It's the third Sunday in July and you know what that means! It's National Ice Cream Day! Since real ice cream can do unpleasant things to me, here's a drawing instead. I did it completely digitally, using my new toy tool from work, a Microsoft SurfacePro. This allows me to draw directly on the screen with a special pen, just like a real piece of paper. Anyway, that's not what you came for. On to the ice cream!

Apollo 11

July 20, 1969

Happy Birthday, Again

And here's the front of the card...

Happy Birthday!

It's my wife's birthday tomorrow! I'm making her a card, but I don't want to be rushed on the drawing on the front - so here's the inside poem. Maybe I'll post the front of the card tomorrow...

Happy Birthday to my wife

My one and only love

I’m so glad you’re in my life

I thank the Lord above

And with our girls to make a fam

You’ve made my life complete

I’m glad you love me as I am

I think you’re pretty sweet

This card’s as cheesy as fondue

That’s what you get from me

But if you tell me, “I love you"

I’ll say, “J’taime aussi!”

Pool Party

Just a quick little limerick tonight - after a full (and hot) day of launching rockets and teaching robot programming at camp, the family headed to a public pool.  The following is semi-true...

When the lifeguard’s shrill whistle was blown

All the swimmers got out with a groan

Floating there in the pool

Was a little kid’s stool
I was done, and I wasn’t alone!

Face Squares Study

Tonight I tried a new technique for drawing faces. I started with the nose and scaled everything else out from there. I also found that the dimensions could be arranged in boxes. The first box went from the bottom of the nose, around the sides and up to the inside corners of the eyes. Two more boxes went from the bottom of the eyes to the top of the eyebrows. Another box went from the bottom of the nose to the bottom of the lower lip, with yet another box from the bottom of the lip to the bottom of the chin. The corners of the mouth lined up with the middles of the eyes.

Here's the sketch with the boxes:

And here it is after shading:

Perfect? Of course not! But that's why I'm practicing.

Mourning Dove

By request, from my sister...

"Bl-blaaah blah. Blah-blah."

Don't Worry - I Didn't

On checkiday.com I see
Two holidays are listed there
And though at first they seem distinct
Combined they make the perfect pair

The first says that today's the day
For pandemonium to reign
Go wild, crazy, run, be free!
Let loose and just ignore your brain

The second of these holidays
Is not a day to be a prude
It's just a day to celebrate
Stripping down and going nude

So if I celebrate both days
I'm sure that you will quickly find
As I walk naked down the street
The chaos won't be far behind

Something Different

I’ve got the itch to attempt something different

Something spectacular, something brand new

Maybe feed porcupines pretzels and pudding

Maybe sculpt busts out of toothpaste and glue

Maybe I’ll author a best-selling novel

Perhaps I’ll start skipping and just never stop

I’ll buy all the Legos all over the planet

And build a huge mountain and climb to the top

I’ll go parasailing while peeling persimmons

I’ll learn to play oboe while under the sea

Create a new dance that’s initially goofy

But soon the whole world will be copying me

Whatever it is, only I can impede me

Retry when I fail and get up when I fall

I need to do something amazingly different

Cause what I’ve been doing’s not working at all

Fun with Mr. Stegosaurus

Hey, Mr. Stegosaurus, did you know that today is "National Give Some Grapes to a Stegosaurus Day"?

"Is it? Oh boy! Gimme!"

Naw, I'm just messin' with you. There's no such day.

"No grapes?! Awww, I LOVE grapes!"

Relax! I brought you some grapes anyway!

"Thanks. Those were some good grapes."

Post 200!

Yes, I've reached another milestone. Today is post number 200 on this blog! I wasn't sure if I actually could think up and post something new every day for a year, but so far I think this has been a wonderful exercise in forcing me to produce, to be creative and to try new techniques. I'm as excited as anyone to see what the next 100 posts will contain!

Happy Clerihew Day

Today we celebrate the birthday of Edmund Clerihew Bentley, inventor of the short, irregular, biographical poem that bears his name. Since I had never heard of him before, I thought I'd try my hand at some.

Edmund Clerihew Bentley

In public behaved rather gently

But what he really liked to do

Was write a bio poem or two

Now lets mention Isaac Newton

Ate most things, including gluten

But when an apple hit his head

He thought up gravity instead

Edgar Allen Poe

Wrote a lot of things, you know

But he passed away in time

Nevermore to write a rhyme

Little John and Robin Hood

In the forest called Sherwood

Stole the money from the rich

Gave to those without a stitch

Neil Armstrong walked upon the moon

That’s what makes most people swoon

But the thing I think is swell

He flew the X-15 as well

Ole Kirk Christiansen

No less than a god among men

So why this praise all aglow?

The dude invented Lego!

Today's also the birthday of Nikola Tesla

His work with electrons left many impressed-a

His genius would stretch from the poles to equator

As mad scientists go, there were none who were greater

Proud Daddy Day

Today both my daughters have made me so proud

They faced down their fears and they tried something new

And while what they did won’t leave everyone wowed

It’s enough that they tried, and their mom and I knew

My oldest had lessons for swimming today

Although she was scared she went up on the board

And without any floaties or any delay

For the first time she jumped, leaving mom and me floored

Then this evening my youngest faced worries galore

There’s a youth choir here, and she thought she’d try out

She had never tried singing in public before

But she made it! (Though mom and I had little doubt)

So here’s to my girls, cause they faced down their fears

They jumped in feet first and they sang it out loud

And they’re learning new skills that could help them for years

We’re so blessed by our girls, they make mom and me proud!

An Unfortunate Accident

Little Known Fact: On July 8, 2011, a friendly alien stopped by to watch the final launch of the Space Shuttle. Steering a little too close to the exhaust plume caused him to enter a time-space warp, sending him to Roswell, New Mexico, where he subsequently crashed. Having no saucer insurance, he enlisted the aid of the Air Force to cover up his embarrassing accident after making front page news on July 8, 1947.

"Mom's not gonna like this!"

Sammy Spider Returns

So after posting last night's poem, I went back to Painter and started playing around with the idea of Sammy Spider falling out of his web. Today I finished it up, and here it is. Is it good? No. Is it meant to be? No! But am I learning more about the abilities of the program, especially regarding layers, transparency and the airbrush tool? I sure am! Anyway, here's the lemonade that came from last night's lemons:

"Oh, snap!"

Sammy Spider

Little Sammy Spider spun a silky spiderweb

Sammy’s strand went “Snap!” and he landed on his head

He thought he'd done it right, but he messed it up instead

So now he's quite frustrated and he’s heading off to bed

(So why did I write this poem? Well, for a good chunk of time tonight I was working on a digital painting of a robot holding a daisy. I was playing with the shading, the layers, etc. and it wasn't turning out quite like I wanted but I figured I'd keep working - until I realized that I'd just put a major part of the picture in the sketch layer that I was planning on deleting at the end! So that was an important lesson learned [lock the layers you don't want to draw in!] at the cost of most of the evening. So I wrote a quick poem about frustration, I'll get a good night's sleep and I'll try again tomorrow.)

Have A Nice Day

Yesterday was the day I've been awaiting for nearly 20 years. No, not the 4th (although we did go see the fireworks and had a great time). Yesterday, reality caught up to my dreams and the job I've been waiting for was finally posted online. Why didn't I just apply earlier, you may ask? It hadn't been invented yet! Anyway, I submitted my resume and now I just have to wait. If things turn out the way I hope, I will have a very nice day indeed!

Happy 4th!

It's the 4th of July
What a wonderful day
I don't have to work
I can stay home and play

We'll go out tonight
Watch the fireworks bloom
See them sparkle and flash
And we'll hear them go "boom!"

So happy birthday to you
Good ol' U S of A
Let's hope freedom and peace
Nevermore fade away

Let's Have A Party!

Let’s have a party, a party today!

Everybody will dance and the music will play

And we’ll have so much fun that we’ll all shout “Hooray!”

When we have a party, a party today!

My oldest decided that she’d be the host

So she sent invitations by family post

She’s been planning all week, and I don’t mean to boast

But she did a great job when she acted as host

Let’s start with the food cause it all made the grade

We had ice cream and brownies - of course they’re home-made

And to drink was delightfully tart lemonade

Yes the food was delicious, it all made the grade

And as for the fun, well, I’ve never had more

We played games - my wife won (though I’m not keeping score)

And we danced, even me, though I’m now kind of sore

It was all in good fun and I’ve never had more

So our family party was quite the success

And there might be some bias but I must confess

That my daughter’s idea didn’t fail to impress

And our family party was quite the success!

Sky Canoe - final

Okay, I promise this is the last time I post this same picture. I just wasn't happy with the bottom part of it. It was supposed to look like the clouds faded down into a deep white mist, but it just looked unfinished to me. So I gave him something interesting to fly over.

Click to Sky-size!

A Busy, Busy Day

Today I need to clean the gutters

Mow the lawn and fix the shutters

Paint the porch and grease the gate

Go on the roof and fix the slate

The driveway needs to be repaved

Our bush is bushy, not behaved

And so I’ll trim it nice and neat

Then sweep the clippings to the street

Oh no! My mailbox is defaced

It’s little flag must be replaced

Then to the garden, weed and hoe

Plant and prune and seed and sow

So out I go, I must get started

All these jobs have me downhearted

But wait, it’s raining! Have a look!

I’ll stay inside and read a book!