Attack of the Meth Mouth - and finding another awesome blog

My friend Patty sent me the link to hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com with the edict "Read this now, pee your pants from laughing and call me after."  I fell apart reading this post about responsibility and success/failure at being an adult.  It's like the author, Allie, is in my brain.  And then I started browsing other posts and found "The Awkward Situation Survival Guide." In it I came across this picture (Allie's artwork) which made me laugh even harder because of the real-life adventure that Patty and I shared which the artwork so succinctly reflected.

I sent it to Patty with the following caption:

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Panel 1: Patty is having fun laughing with Tommy who is off-panel.  Uh oh, a stranger (let's call him Meth Mouth) approaches.

Panel 2: "I want to know your name."

Panel 3: Patty is no longer having fun.  Tommy is still off-panel but is now silenced due to the emotional shock suffered by this full-on assault on Patty's personal bubble by Meth Mouth.

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See, here's the deal.  We were on a Gay Harbor Cruise in NYC (don't ask) and were having a pretty good time at our table... mostly mocking the absurdity of the evening and gawking at the ridiculousness of men over 45 wearing cut-off, rolled up jean shorts and body glitter.

We're laughing having the best time on this self-inflicted harbor hostage situation when suddenly this sweaty drug addict shimmies up behind her, licks her face and, in a stage whisper, says "I want to know your name."

Patty freezes... eyes bulging in that "I-swear-to-God-if-you-don't-correct-this-situation-I'm-going-to-throw-you-off-the-port-side" kind of way.  Alas I was frozen - traumatized by the events unfolding.  Patty, gaining no help from me, reacts, "No you don't."  Meth Mouth is distraught and persists but Patty manages to lean just far enough out of his field of vision that, like a dinosaur, he can no longer see her and sets his sites on another unsuspecting victim.

So, this comic strip perfectly summed up what took me 200 words to express. Check out her other posts by visiting hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com. 

Art Isn't Easy

Portrait, Goldie Hawn, 1996

I accidentally (and to my horror) left a collection of my own artwork in Alabama when I moved to NYC two years ago.  But my friend Lynn was good enough to send it to me (although I realized the other day that one painting is still in a closet at the University... gotta get it shipped ASAP).

In unpacking the artwork I really remembered how much I loved the creative process of putting pen, ink, charcoal to paper (or canvas or wood or steel).  It got me interested in creating again and I've started a new piece that (due to a mix of bad time management and frustration) has sat half finished in the living room for over a week now. Have to get back to it soon. 

The box of art was shipped to my office since it, unlike my apartment, has someone at the desk who can sign for packages in my absence.  Several coworkers gathered as I unboxed the pieces and flipped through them, remembering each piece like an old friend that I hadn't seen in years. Flipping through them I realized how fascinated I was with people, particularly faces.

Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf, 2008

One of my colleagues commented that I had a comic book sensibility about my art - even for the more realistic pieces.  I suppose that's true.  It's probably also why I love the theatre... this heightened sense of reality that is probably improbable but always a great adventure.

A full gallery is available on my Facebook page if you're curious.  Art is very personal, so even writing about it is weird to me, but I wanted to share a little of who I am that many friends do not get to see on a regular basis.

I made a valid attempt to use Picasa to upload to a web folder viewable by anyone but that failed... couldn't figure it out.  So, it's all Facebook for now.

Enjoy!