Inner and Outer Demons

some updates, today's word

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 05:46:02 GMT

another baby

I'm a grand-uncle again. My nephew and his wife welcomed a baby girl into their little family a couple of nights ago. If I don't seem overly excited it's probably because I'm not close to any of my family except for Dad. They're all fine people, but I've been outside the loop for far too long. Besides, I've never been one to get all worked up about babies. And am I wrong, but doesn't it seem like everybody is having a baby these days??

ornamental gourds

The few minutes my dad and I spent discussing the new baby was nothing compared to the amount of conversation time devoted to his bumper crop of gourds. For whatever reason, he planted tons of them and they're out of control. The vines are growing up trees and buildings and fenceposts. He's having a hard enough time giving away tomatoes (something people can actually eat) so you can imagine how fast these weird-ass gourds are moving. In August.

crickets

I want to take a little survey here. Is anybody else noticing an unusual amount of crickets all the sudden? Maybe I'm losing my mind, but I can't ever remember having so many of them -- inside and outside. The cats usually exterminate the indoor invaders (the one named 'Cricket' not appreciating the morbid irony as she munches them), but their numbers are huge in the back and front yards. I can hear them over the A/C and the television. At least it's a pleasant sound.

today's word:

five years

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 05:17:32 GMT

I'm a little late to the party celebrating AOL Journal's five year anniversary. While reading some of my favorite blogs, I came across some official-looking graphics honoring the occasion which looked very professional. I told Donna from This and That and Hockey that I'd make my own and that it'd be a little weird and a little(very) ugly.

It didn't turn out like I wanted, but that in itself makes it perfect for this blog. I'm making mud pies here. I have posted some entries that I was really pleased with, and slopped together many more that I'm too embarrassed to go back and look at. I keep threatening to delete years of archives but never get around to it. I guess it's all part of the blogging experience.

Happy Anniversary, AOL Journals!

P.S. Try to get the alerts working more than 60% of the time.

aol astrology

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:27:48 GMT

You know that little welcome screen you see every time you log in to AOL? With the latest news and your local weather and such? It's pretty worthless and I usually pay no attention to it, but I remember catching a headline a few weeks ago that said something like "AUGUST A BAD MONTH FOR ARIES". Now I don't believe in anything mystical or supernatural, but I'd have to say whatever astrologer AOL hired was pretty accurate. August has sucked so far. Much of it I don't talk about here because I don't want to work myself into an even nastier mood. Author Joy Williams once said something along the lines of "Writing makes everything worse and more clear at once" -- when it's not making everything worse without clarity, that is. That's the trouble with writing.

So I find it easier to post drawings instead of talking about what's going on in my life because my computer time on the weekends is my "fun time".

Anyway....

Here's a sketchbook page from years ago that I've always liked. Fish.

art... by Lumpy!

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 05:14:01 GMT

This is an "Inner and Outer Demons" first! Actual artwork drawn by my forbetterorworse partner in life, Mr. Lump. I had to scan it quick and put it back on the fridge where it's been magneted since he made it last month. It's part of a card that he presented to me when I was having a really, really bad week.

Let me explain. I eat/snack alot when I'm here at home and I'm also a slob. Long ago he nicknamed me 'ratticiti' (sp?) which is spanish for 'little rat'. I think. I also wear a baseball cap and ,yes, my fly is often open. (I have no idea why he added the bowtie) He's not an artist and he doesn't spell so great, but I love it. Things like this make me glad I'm not single anymore.

plagoons for 8/16

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:50:17 GMT

Since I'm taking a short break from ugly drawings I thought I'd bring back the 'plagoons' -- little drawings based on the three letter combinations I see on random license plates. I've heard from a few J-pals that they now play this game too...often with their kids. If you come up with some good ones, send them along and I'll toon 'em.

updates, today's word

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:38:18 GMT

My good friend Mary casually asked how my dog Bongo was doing these days, and it made me realize that I haven't really shared much about my actual present-day life recently. Yeah. I keep forgetting what blogs are for. One day I'll look back on these entries and wonder what in the world I was doing during the Summer of 2008. The truth is that nothing much is happening and that's exactly how I like it. I've grown to love boredom and routine. When every day is exactly like the day before it, I feel safe. But here are a few updates:

1. BONGO

My 14 year-old german shepherd is doing about as well as you'd expect a dog his age to be doing. Possibly better. His arthritic hips keep him from being as active as you can tell he wants to be, but I give him a Rimadyl pill each morning and that allows him to get around pretty well. Recently, the vet told me I was basically caring for a 98 year old man.

2. LUMPY

Ol' Lump has high blood pressure (big surprise), but has really brought it down with meds. He's supposed to be on a diet, but that has been a struggle. He also needs to lower his sodium intake...yeah, sure ...I'll keep you posted.

3. WORK

My job is what it is. There are frustrations and aggrivations, but I try to keep some perspective. At least I'm employed...so many in this country aren't as lucky. (My 20th anniversary is next month)

4. DAD

My dad is doing really well. I continue to be impressed with his positive outlook and sense of humor. He's really enjoying life, At the moment he is overwhelmed with his garden's output. He's been picking about 20 ripe tomatoes a day and giving them away as fast as he can. Last night he told me he's been leaving bags of them in unlocked cars. I'm not sure if he was kidding or not.

TODAY'S WORD:

childhood nightmares

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:02:10 GMT

Ask someone what scared them as a child. You really gain a whole new perspective on someone when they open up about the little things that traumatized them when they were young. It can lead to interesting conversations that last for hours. I'm no psychologist, but I really do believe that those early fears shape us as adults. Really. A friend at work passed along this website which has become one of my bookmarked favorites. People fess up about things/moments that scared them shitless when they were kids...and the webhost writes about each confession in a funny, intelligent way.

I haven't contributed anything yet. But here's a short list of things that traumatized me as a young Toon:

1. THOSE BRIEF TV SPOTS WHERE AN ANNOUNCER SAID "IT'S TEN O'CLOCK...DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE?" I remember there was a black and white graphic of scary trees behind a fence. Over the years I've decided there was a cemetary behind that fence.

2. "NIGHT GALLERY" I wasn't allowed to watch "Soap", "Mary Hartman" or "The Newlywed Game" -- but for some crazy reason my parents thought it was okay for me to be in the livingroom when this fucking show was on! I can remember FREAKING OUT as a kid and crying after some of these episodes were aired.

3. THE POSTER FOR "NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD" The movie came out sometime around 1969 or 1970 which would put me at three or four years old -- and I saw a poster for it in the lobby of the Fox Theater in Newton, Kansas after seeing some Disney movie. The poster featured a scary guy gnawing on a bone with some 'meat' still on it. Interestingly, I love zombie movies now.

4. THE PAPERBACK COVER OF STEPHEN KING'S "CARRIE" I wasn't a tiny kid when I saw it for the first time, but I was a messed-up one. I didn't know the story...I just saw a girl covered in blood. I thought it was something that could hapen at anytime to anybody. I used to cry at night thinking that blood would just all the sudden come out of me for no reason. Now I think "Carrie" is brilliant film...and I'm a huge fan of Sissy Spacek. Go figure.

5. "THIEF IN THE NIGHT" In the early 70's they used to show this TV movie which was about what is supposed to happen after "The Rapture". Some Christian group sponsored it. People in the movie all the sudden disappeared and their cars ran off the road...and all the 'bad' people are left to freak out about the situation. I had all kinds of questions, but my parents weren't really interested in answering them. It was just one of the things that set me on the path to atheism. Don't get me started. Really. Don't.

I found this artwork the other day in a pile of stuff...I think it fits here.

halloween is almost here

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:06:15 GMT

Well...not exactly. We've got to finish up this awful Summer first, but the calendar is inching closer to October when the only holiday worth caring about occurs -- HALLOWEEN!

If you find it hard to get in a Halloweeny mood, just go here and visit my buddy MJ's blog which celebrates all things ghostly, dank, dark and creepy all year long. You'll find spooky artwork, links, videos and essays. I've previously contributed some toons.

If you're one of those unstable people who hate Halloween and think it's a day honoring Satan, please visit and leave a comment expressing your outrage. She'd love that! You could leave it here too, but I've probably already blocked most of you. Sorry. Maybe this will make up for it -- it's the design I plan to use for my 2008 Christmas cards.

brush with greatness

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:25:13 GMT

Since alerts are down and ImageShack is acting weird, I'm feeling kinda free about posting stuff tonight. Odds are that only a few pals will see this and maybe they'll not even see the image. (it may be time to go back to photobucket)

Here is a photo of me and "Garfield" creator Jim Davis that was taken when I was 23 or 24 years old. I've worked with him off an on for almost twenty years on various projects at my job. Whatever you think of his comic strip, I have to tell you that Jim is a very smart man...and he's also extremely personable and kind. On my last visit to Paws Inc. in Muncie, Indiana, he gave me a signed copy of the latest Garfield book & wrote "To Russ: You're like a son to me."

Really.

back to school!

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:01:07 GMT

I'm not getting alerts for blog entries or comments...which sucks, but is also somewhat liberating because I now feel like I can post stuff that likely won't be seen by anybody but a few close J-pals. And since ImageShack is being screwy too -- what have I got to lose???

Here's some art that I made about 19 years ago -- and it's heavily influenced by Lynda Barry. (Do I mention her too much? I guess I do) I wouldn't normally have posted it because the grammar and spelling are awful -- and it's not pretty. But I kept it all these years because it's one of those peices that is very true to my real voice and how I think about stuff. I didn't do much self-editing back then.

Amazingly, school is about to start again. Already????