Bold...with a hint of whimsy

I'll drink to that

2006-03-23T15:18:00.000-05:00

This has easily been one of my least favorite semesters, right behind fall of 2001 at IUPUI. I'm eager to get out of Bloomington and jump into "real life" but I'm a nervous wreck about debt and finding a decent job after graduation. I've managed to convince myself that all of my peers are smarter and much more successful than I, which is only about 95% true. I have to realize that there are another 5% out there doing about as well as myself or slightly worse.

Things are looking up though; I received an e-mail a few days ago from Columbia University's Columbia Scholastic Press Association informing me that I won 1st and 2nd place in their Collegiate Golden Circle awards for best informational graphic. Strangely, I share credit for one of them with Jen Nentrup. I very rarely work with someone on a graphic, so I'm quite perplexed. Moving on...

Yesterday I received yet another e-mail notification informing me that I'm nominated for best informational graphic by The Society of Professional Journalists. I even got invited to the dinner/award presentation in Indianapolis; I just hope the dinner is free. If I end up winning, I'm going to treat myself to an expensive beer at The Rathskeller. If I don't win, I'm going to treat myself to a moderately-priced beer at The Rathskeller.

Craziness: a vital ingredient to becoming a famous artist

2006-02-20T14:09:00.000-05:00

At least it seems that way. I'm referring to a New York Times article about 47 year old Daniel Johnston, a bipolar magic marker artist who is on the verge of becoming world famous for his quirky drawings. This guy lives with his 80 year old parents in Waller, Texas, just outside of Houston. He also has a residence in Crazyville, population: him.

His drawings, which feature cryptic dialog and a mix of popular comic characters and some of his own creation, have at least two art collectors, Jeff Brivic, a Los Angeles dealer and Jeff Tartakov, Johnston's former manager, desperately pursuing anything produced by Johnston.

Despite the fact that Johnston has been at this for many years, only now, with the help of Brivic and Tartakov, is he getting praise for his visual art. He had a critically acclaimed (albeit obscure) music career, reaching a pinnacle in 1985 with an appearance on Mtv. His mental illness kept him from hitting the mainstream, but many artists, including Beck and Kurt Cobain, have given praise to Johnston, even going as far as covering his songs.

Ok. I don't want to sound insensitive, but I find the acclaim given to Johnston's art to be a bit suspect, to say the least. I'm not criticizing Johnston himself; he's just trying to make a living while wrestling with his own health problems and personal demons. I am, however, annoyed with the art critics and dealers who are selling many of Johnston's drawings for $1,000 a pop. Not only are they capitalizing on Johnston's eccentric behavior and mental disorders, they're placing value on work that I quite honestly could produce in a few minutes on a Denny’s placemat. I am an art student and consider myself an artist, but I have a hard time understanding the appeal of Johnston's drawings. Perhaps that is due to two facts:

1. I'm not a 'real' artist
2. I'm not crazy

I have always felt that my sunny disposition and well-balanced nature has kept me from creating great art. The only things I've created resembling art lately has been graphics for the Indiana Daily Student. I basically get paid to make clip art. Though I'd like to be a successful painter or illustrator, I'm quite content being mentally balanced and mostly happy. I don't toss and turn at night wishing I was a little off in the head, in hopes that it would bring about artistic brilliance, or at least the assumption by others that my art is brilliant because I'm off my rocker.

I'm at ease with living a happy life while having a mediocre career. I'd certainly hate to be a wealthy and famous artist with no friends I could trust, or a mental disorder that makes it hard to even get out of bed. Despite accepting my fate as an "average Joe" I have a strong desire to act crazy/depressed/constipated to achieve artistic greatness, only to stand up on a stage at an exhibition one day and say "Ha ha ha! Just kidding, assholes! I'm just a charming-yet-average dude who just duped all of you pretentious art snobs into thinking I was an edgy and disturbed young artist! Screw you all for taking advantage of my emotional torment and mental disorders for your personal gain! By the way, that 1981 Cabernet you're drinking and raving about is actually Charles Shaw...I graphically designed fake labels."

Art imitating...video games?

2006-02-17T02:48:00.000-05:00

Another week, another opportunity to create a video game themed graphic for the IDS. This one was created for a story about Dan Wolfe, an up-and-coming game designer pursuing a Masters of Immersive Media Environments degree here at Indiana University. The graphic was intended to represent those create-a-player screens so common in video games.

In other news, $3.75 23 oz. Killian's drafts are a great way to start the weekend early. Booyah.

Oh, and here's a joke my brother just told me:

A golf club walks into a local bar and asks the barman for a pint of beer.

The barman refuses to serve him. "Why not," asks the golf club.

"You'll be driving later," replies the bartender.

A fine day for a parade

2006-02-14T13:50:00.000-05:00

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the weather can change in the midwest. It was 15 degrees yesterday morning; It was 40 this morning. It is currently holding steady at 52 degrees and sunny. Enough about the weather...

...let's talk about chicken mcnuggets. It is a known fact that you always get at least one mcnugget shaped like the state of Indiana. Some modification is sometimes needed...such as taking a small bite out of the northwestern corner to represent Lake Michigan. The Hoosier mcnuggets can be further modified to make Italy...you can even use the chunk you took out for Lake Michigan and use it for Sicily.

In keeping with the theme of randomness, you should check out artist Brandon Bird. That's his magnificent painting in the upper left corner. I don't really have heroes, but if I did, he'd be one of them.

Oh, and happy Hallmark Day.

The death rattle of freedom of speech?

2006-02-06T12:24:00.000-05:00

I've refrained from posting anything about this issue, but things have begun to spiral out of control to the point that I can't ignore it any longer.

Back in September, twelve drawings depicting the Muslim prophet Mohammed (among other deities from other religions) were published in Jyllands-Posten, a Danish newspaper. These drawings were created at the request of editors at the paper, because they felt that the media as a whole was being far too reluctant to addressing Muslim issues. These editors were later fired.

Recently, a Norwegian newspaper also printed the drawings. Several European newpapers reprinted the cartoons, some claiming to cover the controversy, other as a show of solidarity in support of freedom of expression. Several of those involved in the reprinting have been fired. Two newspapers in Jordan just reprinted the cartoon and arrangements for the arrests of each editor-in-chief have begun. As far as I know, American newspapers/media have opted to stay out of this, perhaps as an act of self preservation, i.e. fear.

I really don't know where to begin, but I'll give this a shot.

1. Islam prohibits depicting Mohammed or Allah, though there have been a few exceptions. This doesn't apply to non-Muslims, does it?

2. The best method for illustrating that Islam is a peaceful religion (contrary to its depiction in one of the cartoons) is NOT by torching embassies of Denmark and Norway in Damascus and the Danish Consulate in Beirut.

3. It's truly ridiculous that entire nations...entire unions of nations...continue to be held hostage by a relatively small group of extremists. It seems freedom of speech and expression doesn't apply to Islam. As a friend of mine quipped "The middle east has become a tantrum-throwing brat in the middle of a grocery store."

I'm not big on politics. I still know little about Islamic religion and culture. But I am an artist. When the tools of personal and artistic expression are rendered impotent, the whole of humanity suffers. We are blazing a dangerous trail, one that leads to totalitarianism and a muzzle on every man, woman and child. Think I'm crazy? Think again.

Senator uppercut!!

2006-02-02T12:49:00.000-05:00

The Indiana Legislature is trying to pass a bill prohibiting the sale or rental of violent and/or sexually explicit video games to minors. This gave me an excuse to create a violent video game themed graphic for the Indiana Daily Student. Smell the irony...

Faking the funk

2005-12-16T16:02:00.000-05:00

I've recently rediscovered my affinity for creating fake magazine covers. It offers a respite from academic work, while also honing my skills as a graphic artist. I'm using the latter as justification for an academically lackluster semester.

Anyway, if any of you out there want to be featured on a magazine cover, or have an idea, feel free to let me know.

As of this moment, I am done with this semester. Andy, my roommate, graduates tomorrow morning. There will be a lengthy bar crawl, accompanied by moments of nostalgia, with a 90% chance of inebriated acts of destruction by yours truly.

Most creative spam ever

2005-12-15T11:01:00.000-05:00

Ok, I just received perhaps the best piece of junkmail ever today. So entertaining, I thought I'd share it:

Dear Friend,

I am Dr. Jenkins Dunbar Jnr, the eldest child of Mr.Jenkins Dunbar (now late,may his soul rest in peace), former Liberia minister for LAND,MINES AND ENERGY the ousted Charles Taylor,former President of Liberia inWest African. My family and I came to Ghana to seek political assylum. Before my father died of a protracted illness in Ghana, he made a deposit of Gold Dust up to the tune of 2000 kilograms in a security company in Holland for the purpose of marketing it at the international market but could not survive his illness and I have all the Documents in my possession at the moment and the specification is Alluvial Gold Dust, 2000 kilograms, 22 carat plus (91.66%) or better, US$5,500 per kilogram with Ghana West Africa as the origin of product.

During my father's tenure as the minister for Land, Mines and Energy, he happens to be in charge of finance on the former president's political ambition. It was while on this
privilege position that he kept in his custody this commodity without the fore knowledge
of the President. This is the reason i am asking for your assistance to contact the Security Company in The Netherlands where this Gold Dust is kept to help us claim it by presenting yourself as the Legal Beneficiary since we are going to send you the documents for change of ownership as you are aware that I cannot do the clearing now with my present condition and as soon as you contact the security company, I will instruct the family lawyer to meet up with you in Holland to do all the documentation so you people could verify the quality and weight of the products and see if you could help us clear and market it at an agreed percentage for all parties or alternatively buy it from the
security company if you so desire because we can also give them mandate to sell if we
can not clear on time as it is already accumulating demmurhage.
Reply me through this email:jenkinsdnbr@netscape.net

Best regards,
Dr. Jenkins Dunbar (Jnr)

Mexico...un viaje a recordar

2005-11-17T16:42:00.000-05:00

I haven’t updated this in way too long, so I’ll make this post about my fantastic trip to see Carrie in Mexico two weeks ago. It was extraordinary, albeit short. I covered a lot of ground, and managed to stay out of trouble. Carrie proved to be a wonderful hostess; she took me as many places as she could in a three-day time span. She also reminded me that you can’t spell hostess without hot.

In addition to Cuernavaca (where Carrie is living and working) I also got to see Taxco and Tepoztlan doing some mountain-climbing in the latter and some hardcore shopping in the former. I managed not to get sick, which I wasn’t concerned about, but everyone else in Indiana was. I could type forever, but I’ll just give you all the Reader’s Digest version of my journey….

view pictures from the trip: click here

Mexico City: Fly in, and get out ASAP...it's like someone diarrhea-ed a city all over the Aztec Empire.

Cuernavaca: Nice city of about 500,000 people or so. Few tourists (a plus) and lots to do. Cars (mostly taxis and buses) speed through the streets; I'm glad my mom taught me to look both ways. Ruggedly pretty in that mid-sized city kind of way. The people are very friendly and there is a bustling (but not overwhelming) city plaza that has a bit of everything, from food, to music, to hand-made goods. It's a kind of St. Louis for Mexico. I'm not sure what that means, it just popped in there.

Taxco: Holy crap, sensory overload! This place is gorgeous, as well as famous for its silver mining. In fact, Cortez had the town moved so its central hub would be closer to the silver mines…Carrie filled me in on that tidbit. The city is nestled in the cleavage of Guerrero, and features stunning Spanish colonial architecture and winding cobblestone streets. The main attraction is The Santa Prisca Parish and Borda's Plaza. We even had breakfast at Borda’s Café right across from the church.

Tepoztlan: This bohemian town is quite a change of pace from the controlled chaos that is Cuernavaca and Taxco. There are cars, but not too many. Tepoztlan is known as "the place of abundant copper" though know it is mostly a haven for artists and other creative types trying to get away from it all. The mountains are gorgeous and provide a constant backdrop everywhere you look.

So there you have it. I plan on returning to Cuernavaca after my graduation and Carrie’s return to the States. This marked my first ‘real’ trip to another country. I ventured across the border to Tijuana back in the summer of 2004 during my trip to California, but that, though fun, wasn’t much of a cultural experience.

A Halloween to remember

2005-10-31T18:18:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday night/Sunday morning, Andy and I had ourselves a Halloween shindig. What started out as a quiet evening soon escalated into lunacy and alcohol-induced pandemonium.

Here's a rundown of the costumes:

Andy and I: The Blues Brothers
Nick: The Mad (Boozing) Hatter
Tina: Alice in Bonerland...er, Wonderland
Conor: Gay Peter Pan
Erin: German Beer Wench (complete with pigtails and crappy German accent)
Lauren: Louis from Family Guy
Craig: Constantine (y'know, the Keanu Reeves film)
Danny: Iraqi Guardsman
Chris: U.S. soldier (there was a brief skirmish with the Iraqi Guardsman)
Sarah: Spastic Ninja
Kerry: (Head) Nurse
Ed: Drunken Ernest Hemmingway...thankfully without a shotgun
Monica: Catholic Schoolcat
Patrick: Professor Snape, of Harry Potter fame
Feldman: Johnny Cash
Random girls that stayed briefly but who knew Ed: Sluts...I think

And here are (some) of the highlights:
- Several Drunken Sing-alongs...mostly to Ace of Base
- Conor and I "breathing fire" with the help of mouthfulls of Everclear and a lighter
- Nick getting sick and puking for the first time since Clinton was in the Whitehouse
- Andy and I improving a Blues Brothers dance scene to the theme from Golden Girls
- Tina kissing my 16 year old brother
- My attempt to kiss Conor on the mouth...I got his forehead
- Singing some song I don't remember while crammed in a shower with Tina, Ed, Lauren, and someone else whom I can't recall
- Being there for Patrick's first drink(s)

Thanks to all that joined in. See you next year...

Sigh

2005-10-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

As the death toll in Pakistan surpases 30,000, I'm left to wonder, "When will this end?" Is it just me, or has the past 12 months seen the worst natural disasters in recent memory? Back in December of 2004, The most powerful earthquake in 40 years erupted under the Indian Ocean near Sumatra, causing giant Tsunami waves to crash ashore in nearly a dozen countries, killing tens of thousands. The rash of Hurricanes here in America have left once beautiful cities in shambles, and thousands of people homeless. Recently, Landslides and floods in the aftermath of Hurricane Stan, combined with an earthquake off the coast of El Salvador as well as a volcanic eruption, have killed at least 800 people throughout Central America and Mexico and hundreds more are missing and feared dead.

Has this just been a bad year? Am I usually just blind to international tragedy? Is the news just more omnipresent these days? Perhaps someone out there in blogland can chime in.

To close this on a positive note, here are two totally sweet news items:
1. Hobbits are real
2. Nomar is superman (but Ditka is still God)

The return of the Silver Bullet

2005-10-11T10:23:00.000-05:00

It's been a difficult few months here in Bloomington. Carrie left for Mexico, my computer's hard drive was wiped out, my financial aid was denied, and my beloved Taurus, The Silver Bullet, stopped running. Things looked bleak. Being a hopeless optimist (isn't that an oxymoron?) I hung in there, knowing that things would get better, and if they didn't, they could still be a lot worse.

Here's how, as my friends Steve & Phil would say, my phoenix arose from the ashes...

I scammed (kind of) Dell into giving me a replacement hard drive and installing it, I filed an appeal and had my aid reinstated (turns out, they don't like it when you have over 160 credits without having a degree), my Uncle fixed my car and I'm flying to Cuernavaca to see Carrie in three weeks.

So you see, things are looking up. Unfortunately, I feel like I'm forgetting something, and it's gonna bite me in the ass when I least expect it.

Ah, one more thing. Ball State University was just named #1 in the U.S. for wireless Web access by Intel. IU, which was ranked #1 last year, isn't even in the top 50 this year. What the hell!?! How can a University go from #1 to not even listed? More importantly, how in the hell can Ball State be #1 in anything, aside from number of date-rapes, or shittiest college town? I was in a good mood today until reading that. This vexes me. I'm terribly vexed. I'm heading to class.

Veni, vidi, vici

2005-09-30T19:15:00.000-05:00

This wasn't a mere trip. This was a conquest. A rampage. A drinking tour de force the likes of which hasn't been since Ted Kennedy was in his boozing prime. It has taken me a few days or so to reflect and attempt to articulate the events that took place in Baltimore this past weekend.

There was a lot of hype leading up to Friday the 23rd of September. The four of us (now to be referred to as either "The Baltimore Four" or "The Baltifour") exchanged e-mails for weeks prior to departure, telling each other how crazy it will be, how much beer we'll down, and how many times we'll chunder into Chesapeake Bay. None of us actually expected such an epic.

Upon Kirkendall and I arriving, Pat took us straight to a bar in the harbor, where we proceeded to warm up, by way of drowning five pitchers of Ram's Head microbrew. We traversed the city streets in a semi-drunken haze, in love with the world and with the creator of beer. This alone would've been a fantastic high point, but not on this weekend.

Brian Cole got into town on the red eye from San Fran at about 5:00 am, and in true Cole fashion, decided to tea-bag us in our sleep...literally. We woke up to the aroma of Lipton and the sound of snickering. The bitch is, he has the pics to prove it.

After a healthy Breakfast at Bob Evans and several beers at the hotel, we headed downtown on the light rail. We each down approximately 64 oz. of beer at ESPN Zone (which sucks) and left after watching Purdue lose and Notre Dame win. Our next stop was the M & S pub...the Irish pub that wasn't an Irish pub. We sat down at about 3pm, leaving at around 8pm, but not without amassing a total bar tab of $405. We even convinced the waitress to come out on the town with us after her shift ended.

After emptying a substantial portion of our checking accounts, we headed to Fell's Point, having a wonderful conversation with the cab driver, who was from Sudan. We made it to the Green Turtle, and the night was still in diapers. There was a bachelorette party going on, which meant Pat and Cole got down with many a middle-aged woman...Pat even made out with one.

Chrissie (the waitress from M & S) showed up, by herself, at about 11:30pm, and she proceeded to get quite friendly with Pat. After lots of spilled suds and broken beer bottles, Chrissie drove us back to our hotel...but not without having to deal with us belting out John Mellencamp and Gin Blossoms tunes, among others.

Once we got to the hotel, Kirkendall, Cole and I got out, while Chrissie "took Pat back to his car." We all know what that really meant...they made out till the wee hours. Pat filled me in on all the juicy details, which I will refrain from typing here.

The following morning at about 10 am, we got ready and headed to Camden Yard to get some grub and beer at Sliders right outside of the park. I gotta say, the last thing I wanted was beer at this point, but there I was, drinking a 16 oz. Bud, followed by cheese sticks and a National beer. The game was cool, though I've never seen so many Red Soxs fans my entire life. Pat called Oriel Park "Fenway South" because of this.

After getting off the plane and heading back to Bloomington, I received a call from Pat; turns out he ended up getting laid Sunday night after he dropped Kirkendall and I off at the airport. Thus concluding one crazy weekend. Of course, this is merely the Reader's Digest version, there is simply no way I would subject cyberspace to the debauchery and excessive display of vulgarity that were so prevalent during our conquest.

Until next time...

One more thing

2005-09-22T16:26:00.000-05:00

I turned 25 on Tuesday. Odds are, I'm older than you.

Bombs over Baltimore

2005-09-22T16:25:00.000-05:00

I leave for Baltimore tomorrow for what will promise to be an exercise in drunken debauchery. I'm flying there to hang out with some old IU friends...y'know, people that graduated on time. The crew will include Pat "the life of the party" Riordan, Joe "The Devastator" Kirkendall and Brian "I'll dip your hand in warm water while you sleep" Cole. Aside from the obvious activity of drinking, we will also be attending the Red Sox vs. Oriels game at Camden Yard. I've been doing liver push-ups to ready myself for the weekend. I may not survive this...

where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away...

2005-09-17T09:06:00.000-05:00

After a string of misfortune, I feel I now have the material to write a country western song. In the course of last month, the following events have occurred:

1. My financial aid was rescinded due to having over 160 credits without receiving a degree. This hitting me after tuition, rent and various other bills were due.

2. My computer hard drive decided to take its own life; resulting in the loss of 4 years’ worth of projects, short stories, lyrics, artwork, music and pictures (no porn).

3. Upon driving back from Indianapolis Labor Day weekend, my car started overheating, the steering locked up, and I had to push the car into my apartment complex. It still awaits repair.

Now, I realize it could be worse. The recent Hurricane Katrina disaster has certainly put things into perspective. There are people down south that have lost everything, left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and dreams. Every time I start swimming in a pool of middle-class self-pity, I think of the people of Louisiana and Alabama, whose lives have been forever changed in the blink of a hurricane eye.

I may write a country western song, but for the sole purpose of making fun of myself and learning to laugh at life when it throws you a hurdle or two. I might call it “My achy breaky wallet.” Any suggestions?

How I'll spend my summer vacation, by Joe Collins

2005-05-10T20:56:00.000-05:00

Summer has officially begun for me, although it's hardly a vacation. I've decided that the next few months will be devoted to getting into optimal physical condition; I've spent too much time over winter and spring sitting on my ass, so it's high time I did something about it. I've been running at least 3 miles everyday; I even went running twice with Carrie during my amazing visit to Rochester last week. I had the unique privelege of staying with Carrie from Monday night to Saturday morning, thanks to having just one final on monday, and getting all of my final art projects done a week in advance. The week consisted of lots of relaxing, a little running, a touch of drinking and a truckload of...er...other activities.

Other than all that, I'm also taking a few classes this summer...two art and one italian. I've been in school a shade over 6 years now, and I don't want to make it 7. I'm gonna take a shower and contemplate homework and a freelance graphic design project. I leave you with this, enjoy!

My stomach lining!

2005-03-03T14:01:00.000-05:00

Holy crap! Tina got into two more law schools! Here's the tally thus far:
1. UCLA (scholarships and aid pending)
2. Pepperdine +$93,000 scholarship
3. Indiana University - Bloomington + full ride for 3 years
4. University of Southern California (scholarships and aid pending)

That's 4 for 4...and 12 more (I believe) to go. Go Tina!

To celebrate (kind of), Nick, Tina, Erin, Kerry and I all went to Buffalo Wild Wings last night. I decided to go for the "Blazin'" wings, and managed to eat all of the 12 that I ordered. In summary: they were hot, but not as hot as I thought they'd be. I can't wait to try something spicier, just to determine my limit.

The weekend is almost here for me; only one class separates me from the sweet respite of Thursday, Friday, Saturday and most of Sunday. Sure, I have a lot of work to do this weekend, but I get to start things off quickly by heading to Evansville straight from my printmaking class...thanks to Tina and Nick. I'm a little bummed about not having my radio show Friday (pre-empted by the IU women's big ten game), but not too bummed. Conor's 22nd b-day celebration is Saturday, which is sure to be a good time. As it turns out, I won't be working on the huge library graphic this weekend, since the IU trustees aren't releasing the info we need until April 1st (don't think I didn't notice that it will be April Fools' day), so hopefully I'll still get to unveil the crowning achievement of my illustrious career *cough* at The Indiana Daily Student.

Also, the countdown to Carrie's arrival is at 21 days...woot!

The Powerful Ankles get rolled...

2005-03-01T03:55:00.000-05:00

Well folks, it was a hell of a run...we assembled a rag-tag group of unlikely individuals and somehow, some way, we lost all four of our games...but that's not the point! We improved with each game, losing by less each time. We played two undefeated teams...teams with jerseys, people! Even though we never won a game, I'm still proud of our team; it's amazing that I only had met one of my teammates before we played...and I'd met him only once. It was a hell of a ride...there will always be a special place in my heart for The Powerful Ankles...

That being said, today was a good day; I got a lot of stuff done, and I kicked ass on my midterm review in my drawing class. The instructor pretty much told me I was the best in the class...which is the first time in the history of my attempting to be an artist. With that, I'm off to bed for five hours of sleep.

Calvin and Hobbes

2005-02-28T16:14:00.000-05:00

Aside from being one of my favorite Calivin and Hobbes strips, this was the one featured in Bonnie Skilarski's lecture on friday as inspiration to one of her paintings. On a side note, Carrie sent the Calvin and Hobbes collection, "Scientific Progress Goes Boink" to me via the mail last week...it made my day.

It was the best of times...it was the best of times

2005-02-28T15:31:00.000-05:00

Man, am I far behind on postings or what? The weekend was great; I got to get out of the apartment for most of it, as well as touch base with old friends. On Friday I had a particularly good radio show. Nick and Tina resumed their duties as designated guests…and Nick even inspired me to drop one hell of an F-bomb on the air. After the show, I headed to a lecture by a well-respected IU artists and longtime faculty member, Bonnie Skilarski. I have to say, I wasn’t too impressed; it was easily one of the most boring artist lectures I’ve ever had the privilege of attending. I will give her mad props for putting a Calvin and Hobbes sunday strip on the slide presentation and citing it as inspiration for one of her paintings. After the lecture, I heading back to the pad, took a nap, and Nick cooked a bitching spaghetti and meatballs. With a full belly and a nap in me, I headed to Indianapolis to catch Missing Six, Extra Blue Kind, Black Soil Project, Wolfy and Emory Salem at the Underground at the Harrison Center for the Arts. It was a truly kick-ass show; there was a bit of everything…if some impromptu freestyle rapping by members of the audience with Black Soil Project. Missing Six (fronted by my longtime friend Ed Hatfield) capped the night with an electrifying, eardrum bursting rock and roll blitzkrieg. As if that wasn’t enough, a large portion of us ended up at Ed and Trevor’s apartment to imbibe cheap beer and destroy at least one article of Ed’s personal belongings. I headed back to Bloomington at 7 am, fighting sleep the entire way. The drive was gorgeous though; the sun was just coming up, and there was a yellow haze engulfing the horizon…it was like driving through a painting.

Once I caught up on sleep (I went to bed at 8:45 am and woke up at 4 pm) I received a call from none other than Steve Okey, another longtime friend of mine who is currently pursuing his masters in religious studies at the University of Chicago. A little background on Steve: Steve is one of the funniest/dangerously quick-witted people I’ve ever met, and easily the most offensive theology student on the planet. As soon as Steve got into town, we dispensed with the pleasantries and headed to The Irish Lion with Nick, Tina, and Erin, followed by a trip to the liquor store. Steve and I took a few liberties with a campus landmark…and by liberties I mean we urinated on the Sample Gates. After desecrating the beloved IU symbol, we returned to 502 to continue eating, drinking, and being offensive. Beer, gin and tonics, chips, salsa and ice cream were consumed and Steve built a lion out of Legos…not just any lion mind you, it was equipped with a rock launcher, jet pack, and projectile vomit. Adorable. I also drunk-dialed Carrie at about 4 am; she was thrilled…really. Something was even brought to light that makes Carrie quite possibly the coolest woman I’ve met in my 24 years on this earth; I’m not going to talk about it here, because this is a family establishment. Sunday was also good; IU beat Michigan State and Tina made a lovely breakfast for everybody. Once Steve left, I had a quick work out, a nap, then headed to work. The weekend was capped off in grand style by some thievery on behalf of Nick and I at about 1:00 am. That’s all I’m gonna tell ya.

Vote for Pedro

2005-02-22T13:54:00.000-05:00

It's IUSA election time here in Bloomington. Ok, for those of you not attending IU, I'll give ya the rundown on IUSA. IUSA stands for Indiana University Student Association. Allegedly , this group is the governing voice of the student body, organizing events (Little 500, IU Sing) and improving/maintaining the academic and social well-being of the student population. Unfortunately, all IUSA really accomplishes is organizing nifty social events, and never really getting anything done on the administrative level. Now, despite my apathy over the whole organization, I always make an effort to research each ticket and vote for a group based on my oh-so-scientific decision-making process. I'm not sure why I do this...I guess I've always felt I should let my voice be heard, even if it is inaudible.
Anyway, this year there are five tickets running for election; most of these tickets are promising the same bullshit: no athletic fee, better parking, drinking in all dorms etc. The exception is "Vote for Pedro." This group initially comes across as a joke, and in a lot of ways, it is; when you name your ticket after a catchphrase from "Napoleon Dynamite" you're obviously going for a more jovial approach to student government. Initially, I thought "Vote for Pedro" was ridiculous and not worthy of my time. However, after talking with Nick and visiting the website (www.canpedrowin.com) I have decided that I will indeed "Vote for Pedro." Instead of promising some dramatic paradigm shift in the IU administration, where a 12-level underground parking facility is constructed below the union, porn is allowed to be filmed anywhere on campus and President Herbert poops out rainbows and unicorns to the music of Polyphonic Spree, Vote for Pedro decides to just be realistic and lays it out on the table like this: they can't do shit, so why try? Instead of listing their stances on every issue, I'll just recommend you visit their website...at the very least, it's highly entertaining. Off to lunch I go...

Does the fun ever start?!

2005-02-20T22:10:00.000-05:00

A summary of today: subway, macaroni and cheese, work, reading, designing a skin cancer graphic. I lead an increasingly boring life.

The Diet Coke of Saturdays

2005-02-20T04:45:00.000-05:00

Ah, Saturday. I spent the first part of the day watching Iowa play Illinois in basketball…Illinois won. After Dave left, I spent most of the evening reading “The Illustrated Man” by Ray Bradbury. It’s a collection of his short stories from 1947-1951…most of them were pretty damn awesome/creepy. Erin and Conor came over around six; Nick made Tortellini and salads, and we all sat around drinking wine and getting stupid. After dinner, more alcohol was consumed (and ice cream) and we all partook in a viewing of The Grudge. It was terrible; I actually had decent expectations for it, but it was mind-numbingly boring. I kept waiting for the scary, but the scary never came. After that, Nick, Tina, Conor and I headed to Big Red Liquors to purchase even more alcohol, and then we returned to 502 to finish off the night in a buzzy haze. I got a hilarious call from Carrie and her friends, who were out and about in Rochester getting their drink on; I ended up talking to Carrie for about an hour…she is wicked amazing. Ok, that is all from my boring self.

Friday night Lego club

2005-02-18T22:48:00.000-05:00

Dave is in Bloomington for the night; we’ve just been jamming on guitar(s) and watching the Rookies vs. Sophomores NBA game. I made an IU toothbrush holder out of Legos. I’m such a geek.

All is well

2005-02-17T23:08:00.000-05:00

Oh yeaaaah….I feel grrrreat! Thursday was a great day. Painting class was cancelled, Italian and printmaking were fun, and I got to do another Dr. Phil promo for the radio station. To top it off, the Weekend cover turned out ok…not great, but ok. Now I’m gonna go celebrate the coming of the weekend with Nick and Tina at the Irish Lion. Let the weekend commence. Oh, one more thing, Nick and Tina head to Northwestern tomorrow for Law School interviews. May the force be with them…as if they won’t kick interview ass. Also, I’ve been listening to Ted Leo and the Pharmacists…really catchy/creative rock and roll.

Obligatory couple picture

2005-02-14T23:52:00.000-05:00

Carrie and I during my visit to Rochester on February 11th. Carrie is cute...my hair is dumb.

Back home again in Indiana

2005-02-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

Back from my weekend trip to Rochester. In short, it was amazing. Actual conversation I had with a pilot at the Washington Dulles Airport:

Pilot: Hey! You go to IU?

Me: Yeah

Pilot: What’s your major?

Me: Studio Art

Pilot: Cool, I went to a school farther north…Purdue, perhaps you’ve hear of it?

Me: Oh yes.

Pilot: Yeah, it sucked. Shitty town. Hey, tell me something. Is it true what they say about IU? (leans closer, almost whispering) That the chicks are really freakin’ hot?

Me: Ha, well…I guess they’re not hot enough; I’m heading to Rochester, New York to see my girlfriend.

Pilot: Rochester (pause) alriiight. Take it easy man, have a good flight.

Me: You too.

The only downside to the whole trip is the complete exhaustion I’m feeling right now. I still have to finish the cover for weekend, and have two assignments finished by tomorrow… it was worth it.

In a New York state of mind

2005-02-09T16:25:00.000-05:00

This has been a crazy week, which is why I haven’t made an entry in awhile. I’m about to head to class, followed by work at the IDS, then staying up late to finish a few projects. I’m flying to Rochester in two days, which is part of the reason this week has been so crazy. I don’t anticipate sleeping much in the days leading up my departure, partly because of all the work I have to do, but mostly because I’ll be in a constant state of hyperactivity; this is usually brought on when I’m about to travel. I usually don’t sleep at all before I fly, and I’m sure that will be the case again, as I have to be at the airport by 4 am Friday. I truly can’t wait to get there; I haven’t seen Carrie since the first week of January, and I’ve never been to upstate New York. I’m going to try really hard not to be a bumbling idiot this weekend; I am after all the antithesis of smooth. Despite this fact, I’m still clinging to the hope of the most romantic Valentine’s Day weekend ever…as ridiculous as that may sound. Have I mentioned I’m quite smitten with Carrie?

Rambling

2005-02-09T02:57:00.000-05:00

New comic character ideas: Bi-Polar Bear and Spastic Eagle. I think they’re pretty self-explanatory.

IDS Weekend cover

2005-02-08T02:26:00.000-05:00

Holy crap! I get to do next week’s cover for the Weekend issue of the IDS! It’s comic book themed, so I’m going to draw comic book characters jumping out of a real comic book. I’m thrilled. Now I’m gonna eat something.

It's been awhile...

2005-02-01T16:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, first entry. A lot of things have changed since I logged my last journal entry sometime in the middle of 2002. When I left off, I was going to school at IUPUI, living at home, working at UPS, and about ready to embark on an unprecedented series of life-changing events…well, kinda. I ended up quitting UPS, a job that I held for two and half years, bought a car, and transferred to IU. Since the summer of 2002, my life has been quite the roller coaster ride. For the most part, the past two and a half years have been amazing; I’ve experienced more things and traveled more places than in the 21 years that came before.

I’ve experienced a little heartache here and there, but nothing I should really complain about. I’m lucky enough to have some of the most incredible friends who have always been there for me, no matter what. Sometimes I feel like I have the kind of friends that are only in movies or TV shows…we seldom fight or argue, and when we do, we resolve our problems in twenty minutes, then promptly go get ice cream (thick sarcasm). But seriously, I think that having great friends (read: epic) is a unique thing; your family loves you unconditionally, but your friends choose you out of thousands of people…they aren’t obligated to like you. Not to knock family, I happen to love my family very much.

Ok, back to now. After a crazy summer that will go down in the record books (more on that in later entries) my pal Nick and I moved into an apartment here in Bloomington. It’s two miles from campus, but it’s a three level townhouse, and I get the entire basement to myself…sweet. The first semester was a crazy one indeed, with many nights of drunken debauchery and countless moments of gut-busting hilarity. A few parties were thrown; there were frequent trips to Scotty’s on Friday nights with Nick, Tina, Erin, Conor and many others for Karaoke, and several incidents of indecent/illegal activity may or may not have occurred.

After the curtains closed on the stunning first act that was the fall semester, I began my winter break. I had been eagerly anticipating it for several reasons. First off, it’s a flippin’ break, we all like those. Secondly, I was quite eager to see my longtime Indianapolis friends, many whom would be coming into town from all across the country. Among this group of friends was one Carrie Rouse. We had known each other for five years, and over the past few years, had become much closer. Since Thanksgiving break or so I’d had what many would call a crush on her, though I prefer to call it a smoosh…since crushing sounds so violent. After several weeks of great times (sledding, drinking, more sledding) Carrie and I were a couple. I’m flying out to Rochester, NY to see her on the 11^th. That brings things up to date, though I’m leaving out lots of crazy stories and amusing anecdotes. This isn’t going to be an extremely personal journal, so get used to it. I’m about to start the second act of this riveting play, followed by the third, which will come sometime in mid-may and is anticipated to be a rollicking tour de’ force of emotion and action-packed thrills. Alright, I gotta get to class.