Bird Day

Ramblings Post #415
I need a little gravy on mine. I just do. Don't ask why. It's good on the chicken, the pork-chops and the steak. Don't know why, but it is. It's a sad commentary on how I let my taste buds hijack my diet. Sad, but delicious. 

Apparently this week's assignment is the gas up the Cowboy Nation after beating Philly, with commentator after commentator suddenly seeing how the 'boys can beat Kansas City on Thursday. I am a die hard fan, as my mother puts it you would think the team pays me, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Dallas has one of the worst stretches of scheduling in the game, with Monday Night game, a Sunday game and Thursday game for three games in less than fourteen days. They've won two, and now are expecting to pull off the upset in the third? 

Um, look, my blood pressure is high enough. Its looking like Jerry might have actually known what he was doing at the trade table after all, but pulled the trigger a little too late to make it work this season. Maybe. The new look D-Line might be able to put pressure on Mahomes, and he's suspect under pressure. No matter, I will have high hopes for next season. 

But this post is about Bird Day. The last under-commericalized holiday we have. I memories of my childhood and trips to the country to see my peoples. A typical Thanksgiving spread would have included at least 3 turkeys (fried, smoked, baked), ham, chicken(fried, baked, grilled), ribs, pork chops, pulled pork, sausage, chitterlings, venison, stewed beef and various gravies. Sometimes we'd get exotic, with bear or snake, but not often. Then came the mac and cheese, yellow rice, white rice, stuffing, mashed potatoes, potato salad, and a small meatloaf (which I never ate), sometimes there is a baked ziti. Then the sides with green beans, lima beans, black eyed peas, green peas, corn, collard greens, okra along rolls, biscuits, cornbread and just regular bread. Desserts - cakes and pies, were in a whole other room. There was more, but this is what I remember. 

Grace was around two and you ate, napped, watched football, hung out with family, ate some more and that was the whole day. Neighbors and other people we knew dropped in, caught up, hung out, told stories and left toting a tin foil covered plate. 

We're not there anymore. Those loving aunts and uncles are cooking on high at this point, family has spread too far and away, finances are what they are, but the memories are a powerful thing. 

Blessings be to you and yours. May the food be good, but the company better.   

It's in a box somewhere in here

Ramblings Post #416
There is a tendency of mine to revisit myself. To look back at my life to understand why I did what I did and how to either repeat or avoid that past outcome. This self reflection is probably something I need to do less of, as I'm fairly certain that I'm not gonna be five years old again any time soon, and that guy who owns that ice cream truck is more than likely retired, so my rehashing my selection like it's gonna happen again or make a major difference is moot. But still...  

Many years ago I sketched the outline for a comic book, among other things. The idea came to me in a flash - as many of my ideas do - and built upon it, concept on top of concept for months if not weeks. It was weird, anthropomorphic, based on popular college mascots at the time. That and some animals in logos of popular brands. Think of the characters from Zootopia, but less colorful or spunky or really animal like, and in a world of espionage and intrigue more like James Bond or Mission Impossible. I'd worked out a whole world, inflection points in the the history, and sketched out the story through 30 or so issues, including arcs. At one point I even tried sketching out the pages, trying my best to bring this vision in my head to life. It wasn't good. 

I wonder if I had persisted how well I'd be able to draw at this point? Hmmmm.  

In any case, I'd occasionally refine the story, creating more characters, deepening backstories and motivations, made drawings of maps of the whole planet, then smaller detailed maps of the capital cities of the various animal based factions complete with legends and then diagrams of secret bases. It's all in a folder somewhere in my house. Well, the story outlines at least, possibly the maps to now that I think about it. I need to look for it and see what I did. 

Or is this an excuse to delay my other projects instead of finishing them.  

Confidence in my own ability. That's always been my problem, second guessing myself when in those cases I proceed, I succeed. Because over time I get better. Like most of us do. Which is why I've always suggested that we should just start and understand that we will be...not good. But we will get better. 

At least, I've always suggested that to other people.  

Barkeep. The GOOD water. 

Art Lives within us All

Ramblings Post #415
Art is a thing. I know when we imagined AI's arrival, we imagined that it would take away all the drudgery and accounting jobs, not the creation of Art, our that vision in our heads made public. I've seen too many people giddy with the anticipation of "creation," as if creation is now putting five sentences into a AI engine and hitting refresh until it spits out something they like. Where is the voice? The vision? The soul? It's something, no doubt but it's not really Art. It's just...content. If you know what I mean. 

Crown of the Feast by Izere Antoine 

Good art soothes. You can see the lines, the intent, and hopefully it says something to you. I've been out for a minute, but good Art, be it written, musical, or the product of paint or pen does something to you. It should. It should tell you that you're alive.