1% Inspiration

... I wasn't one of those "shopping fools" that made the news this past weekend.
No, I wasn't standing in line in front of Walmart, Best Buy, Circuit City, or
CompUSA at 5 o'clock in the morning on Friday. My credit card stayed in my wallet. I let other people fuel the national economy and rack up even more consumer debt. In mid December, when the credit card bills and the utility bill arrive in the mailbox on the same day, I won't be the one sweating.
... my intent was to slip quietly and peacefully through this holiday weekend. I
planned on nothing more than working my regularly scheduled shifts, an "after work"
beer, and returning to the comfort of my cozy little apartment. This may sound a
little boring but something came out of it - something incredible, actually.
... I was relaxing in the livingroom with a CD playing softly in the background, my feet propped up on the coffee table. Grabbing a book that I bought last month at Borders, The Animator's Survival Kit,I started to study, reviewing the chapters I already finished, and moving on to fresh subject matter, until I grew a little sleepy. I put my head back and closed my eyes and that's when the incredible magic happened. A white screen appeared in my "mind's eye" and a simple line drawing "character" faded in. The character began to dance on that screen, making repetitive moves and gestures with his head, body, arms, and legs, in sync with the music I was listening to. I opened my eyes again, grabbed a sketchbook and a pencil, and quickly recorded what I had just visualized on a page of the sketchbook. In a matter of about 5 minutes, I had 6 sketches that will evolve into key frames for a cartoon that's been in my mind for a while now. It was another "Aha!" moment where ones subconcious and concious mind meet and produce.
... I believe it was Thomas Edison that said, "Invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." I experienced the 1% inspiration in that sleepy vision and am now in the process of doing the actual hard work required to produce the physical cartoon. When I am done, I promise to post it here.

Leftovers

... the first time I woke up today, the clock read 3:44 a.m. I seriously considered
staying up, making some coffee, firing up the laptop, and going online. Instead,
I crawled back under a mountain of warm quilts and went back to sleep. At 8
o'clock, I opened my eyes to a strange phenomenon, a brightly lit bedroom. The
sun was actually shining (through a few scattered clouds) and the sky was blue!
...my resolve is strong today and I am determined to tackle the growing list of chores that I've been ignoring all week. The first load of laundry is in the washer already. I'm ready to take two trash bags to the dumpster and go to the carwash for more quarters to finish the washing. The sink is empty, no dirty dishes hanging around, and I don't even to cook - just heat up the leftovers and make a sandwich. Both "winterizing" the windows and taking care of the aquariums are both very reachable goals for the afternoon.
... I'm thanking God that I'm not working at the mall right now. I remember the year that I did work there at Christmas and how it completely ruined my holiday season. It was an absolutely miserable experience that showed me the most evil side of the holiday. While Christmas songs heralding the birth of Jesus rang out in the background, greedy shoppers literally fought over merchandise, parking spots, and even their space in line to visit Santa Claus. In the quest to create "the perfect Christmas" for one's own family too often overrides civilized and polite behavior - especially at a "50% Off Sale" on Christmas Eve.
...I'm giving up on the OurMedia Publishing Tool for uploading any large video files for use on this site. I had the same trouble that other users complained about with this uploader tool. Once installed, it never loaded. The publishing tool's creator posted a set of instructions that would supposedly fix the problem. After carefully following these instructions, the tool would still not load. Instead, I went to Creative Commons to download and install their tool. It loaded right away and although I haven't published anything, it appears to work just like the Our Media tool did the first (and only) time it loaded. Perhaps this will now motivate me to produce some "meatier" video posts.
... I made my December calendar and it is hanging on the corkboard by my desk. The important dates, appointments, and "due dates" are noted and new things can be penciled in. It looks like a very busy month from start to finish. Better hang on to my hat (and gloves)!!
...I checked the "Who Links to Me" link at the bottom of this page and was surprised to see that my blog is linked to a couple of online gambling/casino sites. I am going to defeat the purpose right now and clearly state DO NOT GAMBLE ONLINE. If you want to play slots, blackjack, or poker, go to your favorite casino - the real world ones, not this online "virtual casino" crap.

Waking up ...

... and looking out the window, I see that winter has officially arrived! There's a
white blanket of snow covering the trees, lawns, and roads. And now, it really does feel like the "holiday season" is here.
... realistically, the snow that fell last night is just a dusting. A whole lot more will fall and accumulate over the next four months. Today, I love it like only a true "born and bred Northerner" can.

A Silly List

First Grade Teacher's Name? Ms. Kleinman
Last Words You Said: "Have a Happy Thanksgiving!"
Last Song You Sang? "Quiero Saber de Ti"
Last Person You Hugged? Alicia Muser ! Yeah, Baby!
Last Thing You Laughed At? My bird doing acrobatics
Last Time You Said 'I Love You' And Meant It? To my dad today
Last Time You Cried? Today, thinking about my mom's funeral.
What's In Your CD Player? 5 CD's including: The Rolling Stones, Latin Pop Hits, and some homemade mix CD's
What Color Socks Are You Wearing? Two pairs - a white pair underneath a pair of gray boot/hunting socks.
What's Under Your Bed? A board.
What Time Did You Wake Up Today? 11 a.m.
Current Taste? Pumpkin pie
Current Hair? same as always, more grey
Current Clothes? Levi's and a thermal undershirt (long sleeve)
Current Annoyance? The new sidework chart at work
Current Longing? To get a call for an interview from the company I sent a resume to recently
Current Desktop Picture? A mural from a train tressel downtown
Current Worry(ies) Making rent and car payments
Current Hate? "Latino Night" at the club downtown
Favorite Physical Feature Of The Opposite Sex? Tits and Ass
Last CD You Bought? 30 CD R's! LOL!
Favorite Place To Be? The lake on a hot August afternoon
Least Favorite Place? DUH! A No-Brainer, there.
Time You Wake Up In The Morning? Usually around 8:00 a.m. if I get to sleep before 5 a.m.
Favorite Color? Blue
Do You Believe In An Afterlife? Nope
How Tall Are You? 6' 1"
Current Favorite Word/Saying? Orale, vatos!
Favorite Season? Autumn
One Person From Your Past You Wish You Could Go Back And Talk To: A couple really, Rockwell, Jeff H., Andy L.
Favorite Day? My Day Off
Where Would You Like To Go? Brazil
What Is Your Career Going To Be Like? Short and sweet
How Many Kids Do You Want? None
Favorite Car? No cars, TRUCKS!

There's a Hair in The Soup

After 20 years in the business, I thought I'd seen it all. In fact, I was certain that nothing a customer could do would surprise me ever again. I was wrong. I was actually astounded on Saturday night.
The last home football game of the season is always between two arch rivals and is the biggest homegame of the year. The customers began flooding in and it didn't slow down. The hostesses used a "wait list" for over 2 1/2 hours and the manager finally cut the floor around 9:30 p.m. I took the first new table in my section and was delivering their salads when the surprising incident occurred.
On the other side of the diningroom, our manager was talking with a customer, a man about 45 years old. The man's wife and young son listened in on their conversation. The man suddenly stood up, his wife reached out to stop him, and our manager stepped back. The guy turned toward the other tables, and in a very loud voice, began an obnoxious and embarassing speech.
"I want you all to know that I just had dinner with my family," he began, "and
I found a long blonde hair in my food." He gestures with his hands to show the length of the hair he found. "I'm not the type to complain but..."
Before I go any further, I have to fill in a few relevant details. First, their server is definitely not a blonde. In fact, not one of the waitstaff working that night was a blonde. Our entire kitchen is "latino". They sport flat-top fade brush cuts, hidden beneath bandana's and turned back ball caps. The man's wife, however, did have blonde hair that reached the middle of her back. His son was rolling his eyes as his dad went on.
"I really feel that my entire bill should be free," he announced. "And this guy
only wants to take my dinner off the bill. This is the worst example of customer
service I've ever seen and this manager is incompetent." He flashes a glance at the
boss. "I have about 350 friends and business associates that I'm going to tell about
this and none of them will ever come here again."
When he first began his speech, a few people leaned out of the booths, curious to see what was going on. Between the background music and the normal diningroom
din, most could not hear what he was saying and thought that he was announcing a
birthday. They quickly rejoined their conversations and paid no attention to this guy. Fortunately, the two closest tables were "regulars", affectionately nicknamed "The Horse People" because they run a horse breeding and boarding farm a few miles outside of town. One of "The Horse People" retorted, "I eat here all the time! The food is always great and the service is excellent!" From the corner, another regular customer chimes in, "Cut him off!"
"Enjoy your hair food!" the man bellows as he finally surrenders his debit card to the manager. The family mills around the table while being cashed out and both the wife and son are trying to hide their faces. He signs the receipt and is escorted to the door.
As the table is being cleared, I notice that they've left three carryout boxes on the table. I quickly collect them and put them in a bag. I walk up to "The Horse People" and ask if they still have Wilbur, a pig they've been growing out for sometime now. "We sure do!", the lady responds. I present her with the bag of food, telling her that Wilbur's dinner is "on the house" tonight. Waste not, want not.

A Sketchy Public Service Announcement

*No animals were injured while creating this video*

Panhandling, Homeless, and Hustling

It was extemely cold yesterday, windy and snowing also. Restless, and
unwilling to fire up the furnace in my apartment, I threw on about 5 layers of
clothes, including my thermal underwear "union suit", and headed downtown.
Intent on walking around, taking pictures and filming, I got on the Transportation
Authority bus, paid my one dollar fare, and was on my way.
The bus was warm and I engaged in a pleasant conversation with another passenger during the ride. We parted company at the Transit Center, heading
off in different directions. I walked two blocks to Main Street, drinking
in the sights, thinking about the camera in my pocket and what I was going to
photograph. My stomach was beginning to growl and, out of habit,
I had a craving for a Fleetwood Diner cheeseburger. And then "it" happened,
right at the crosswalk at Main and Liberty.
"Hey Mister!", I heard a voice call out. I cringed, instinctively knowing what
was coming next. "Got any spare change, dude?"
Looking to my left, I see a guy, about 27 years old, dressed as normally as
anyone else on the street, with his hand out. "I just need a buck or two," he
throws in, as if that's going to make it easier. Just last month, I wrote about a scary experience when I felt threatened by a panhandler in nearly the exact same location. In fact, according to a local paper's monthly "Crime Map", this is the same location where numerous robberies, including daring daylight capers, have been happening over an extended period of time. Quickly and abruptly, I brush past the guy and am at the Fleetwood in two minutes.
While Elvis is cooking my burger, I start to think about this experience and to
discuss it with my waitress friend, Nola. We're both "streetwise townies" and it's
something that has hardened us to the growing panhandling situation in town. We know a lot of the "real" street people that are out there. We know them by name.
We know a little bit about their histories. We know where they hang out and the
games they run. And, we know their vices.
"Mary" is the Queen of the street people. She's been around forever and is
well known to everyone, including the police. I know her real name, that she is in her 60's, and that she's turned down offers that would get her off the street. She carries her belongings in plastic bags and when those bags get full, she fills a shopping cart with those bags. When one shopping cart is full, she fills another. When the second shopping cart is full, the police confiscate it. The contents end up in the dumpster behind the police station. Losing her precious boxes and newspapers infuriates Mary and she is always ready with a scalding "Anti-Law Enforcement" tirade after such an incident. That's when I know to avoid her.
There's "Danny", who, at one point in his life, was well on the way to collecting a pension from the local school system after spending more than 10 years as a janitor. He was pretty normal until his mother died. He lost his family, his home, and his job, hitting the streets with a bottle of hard liquour and a taste for crack cocaine. I saw Danny sprawled out on the Diag this summer and, after a short conversation, I gave him $5. He dissappeared into the liquor store with one of his street buddies as I watched from a distance.
In a west side park, carefully concealed beneath a tall, steep set of stairs, there's a old mattress, some filthy blankets, and plastic sheets to stop the rain. It looks like a kid's "fort" but it is home, at least for most of the year, to "Eddie", a guy that "Mary" helps and looks out for. Every morning at 6:30 a.m., Eddie sits through the required Bible reading, and then gets hot oatmeal, toast, coffee, and orange juice for breakfast at the Presbyterian food kitchen. Eddie earns extra cash by hustling. He very subtley let's people know that he'll "fall from grace" for a few bucks, meaning that he'll masturbate in front of you. For a few more bucks, he'll allow you "to fall from grace", meaning he'll let you do it for him. I've seen him run that game on a few desperate old gay men more than once. I guess all the Bible readings have taught him something.
The names and descriptions and descriptions could continue - "Moose" and the posse of teenage runaway boys he pimps out, the "Liberty Plaza Crackheads", eating out of the dumpster to envoke sympathy from tourists, "Nitrous John", and "Junkyard Johnny". I've met more than I care to admit. So when the normal looking 27 year old hit me up and I brushed him off, I don't think that I was being callous and uncaring at all. I was saving myself from inviting any more sadness and misery into my life. Maybe the next time, I'll spring for some hot food and coffee, set up my little video camera, and record an interview.
The attached picture is a quick sketch I did of Mary, without her knowing, in the Fleetwood a couple of years ago.