philistine
Phi•lis•tine \ˈfi-lə-ˌstēn; fə-ˈlis-tən, -ˌtēn; ˈfi-lə-stən\ n (14c) 1 : a native or inhabitant of ancient Philistia 2 : often not cap a : a person who is guided by materialism and is usu. disdainful of intellectual or artistic values b : one uninformed in a special area of knowledge — philistine adj, often cap — phi•lis•tin•ism \-lə-ˌstē-ˌni-zəm; -ˈlis-tə-, -ˌtē, -lə-stə-\ n, often cap
Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition
common assets, vol. 5
all aboard…
‘Station to Station’ - David Bowie (1976/RCA)
‘Newage Daydream’ - Amy Blaschke (2021/Amy Blaschke)
‘The Dreaming’ - Kate Bush (1982/Noble and Bright)
inspired spin-off listening which included The Knife, Dead Can Dance, and The Hives.
‘The Best of Car Talk’ - NPR
late-comer to ‘Car Talk’ – happy to’ve made it.
that’s all, for now.
moody
feeling out of sorts.
listened to Little Simz this afternoon.
a few things, now that some Dust has settled:
bookmarking where i’m at with weepy – cover came together last week.
feeling into the “doubling back” part of the loop-de-loop, too.
taking the time i need to take – no rush.
ok, bye bye
signs
one of the better M. Night Shyamalan movies, i think.
i recall chatting about Signs at work recently. or maybe that was something else…
take a look at these two trailers for Signs: low quality vs. high-er quality. low quality looks like a ’90s Chris Columbus flick – new Culkin.
i digress…
inspired by Sam’s hand diagrams and reminded of sign language diagrams, namely the ASL alphabet.
first sign learned from The Lady: “i love you”
trying stuff with color – “yes, that’s happening!”
Youtube got me again… more signs (p.s. don’t beat your kids… !)
fooled around with Dust Devil while sorting a bungled purchase.
s’alright – but maybe not my cuppa.
too hot
introduced to Mary Howitt’s poem ‘The Spider and the Fly’ by an unexpected source: ‘Too Hot To Handle’.
surprise, surprise… i’ve got a shape for that!
The Spider and the Fly
By Mary Howitt
“Will you walk into my parlour?” said the Spider to the Fly,
“‘Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to shew when you are there.”
“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne’er come down again.”
“I’m sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?” said the Spider to the Fly.
“There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I’ll snugly tuck you in!”
“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “for I’ve often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!”
Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, “Dear friend what can I do,
To prove the warm affection I’ve always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, good store of all that’s nice;
I’m sure you’re very welcome–will you please to take a slice?”
“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “kind sir, that cannot be,
I’ve heard what’s in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!”
“Sweet creature!” said the Spider, “you’re witty and you’re wise,
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I’ve a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
If you’ll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself.”
“I thank you, gentle sir,” she said, “for what you’re pleased to say,
And bidding you good morning now, I’ll call another day.”
The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready, to dine upon the Fly.
Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing,
“Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple–there’s a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!”
Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue–
Thinking only of her crested head–poor foolish thing! At last,
Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast.
He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlour–but she ne’er came out again!
And now dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words, I pray you ne’er give heed:
Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.
tail end
didn’t feel wrapped on the last two mixtapes – cause they weren’t… needed to put attention toward the tail end: track list design.
it’s not that things are now made “final, final”, necessarily; but it helps identify decisions made.
sidenote: cat time reminded me of a time signature explainer i ran into. classic internet vibes – i dig.
couple album plays from the last few days. got into these between “heads down” sessions. it’s been a ride, enjoyed these pitstops.
Willow and Secret Sidewalk are both trying out some new things – cool to hear it.
gonna keep on creepin’ on with drawing and jamming and whatever else…
ok, bye bye!
phone sketch
working on the TV/ofrenda drawing, really getting into the phone and iterating with color. i like where things are going – digging the offset version, too.
had imagined the whole drawing as black and white line work, but this yellow phone is pretty fun.
i really like this part of the drawing. looks like a necklace, or something.
or, something…
Cat Time
happy of myself for making it through this.
‘Cat Time’ mixtape design iterations. ‘Ganache’ served as a base for the lettering – ‘Cheers’ vibes, for sure.
Kit Cat-ified, with a Simon twist – ba-da-bing!
better be on cat time, or f--k around and find out.
thanks Sam, for bringing this into our lexicon. and Simon, for your vigilance… !
removed a couple tracks from an earlier mixtape – felt more like self-sabotaging projections than my feelings. still really like the music, just not in that context.
bedtime – gonna brush and floss.
thumbs up, for rock and roll!
ok, bye bye… !
coed dryer
the barcode label on one of the wooden drying racks gave up the ghost this afternoon. “coed”…huh?
went back to the source after deciding to hang on to the label – wanted to see if there were any others.
lucky me, there were two:
nice nice lettering.
i just like it.
4Runner traced sketch pieces. reached a threshold with graphite on trace – needed fixative.
layer by layer it goes: primary outlines, window and interior shading, decals, highlight identification… ? no idea what i’m doing, but i’m enjoying myself.
french curves
‘Complete Stretching’ - Maxine Tobias & John Patrick Sullivan (1992/Knopf)
picked this up in the ballet days, trying to achieve better flexibility and turnout.
slightly different goals nowadays. glad to have held on to this.
came across ‘Bob and Brad’ today. super helpful, given the current circumstances.
“Skeleton Sam” with shoulder-saddled Gumby were eerily on the nose… !
visualizing auto encounters. just getting started, trying some things out. here’s where i’m at:
‘Courtesy Van’
Toyota Warhawk… ?
using french curves for the first time – in earnest. it’s interesting. gonna take some getting used to.
Pearl’s Shapes
“A Single Pale Rose” - ‘Steven Universe’; Season 5, Episode 18 (2018)
pain in the neck
tweaked something…
rolling out using the golfball Sam brought home from a free pile we passed on our walk Friday evening. it’s just the right size – score.
learning to slow down, take my time, breathe… finding relief in the process, too.
call your mother
i know… i will!
first, there are some things on my mind i need to process
“ARE YOU WITH THAT?” - Vince Staples (2021/UMG) directed by Jack Begert
Vincent… !
for those jaunts through Justice:
“Heavy Metal” - Justice (2016 / Ed Banger Records/Because Music) directed by Filip Nilsson, featuring the Norfolk State University Spartan “Legion” Marching Band
enjoyed the behind the scenes footage, too.
“On’n’On” - Justice (2011 / EdBanger Records/Because Music)
very similar to The Maccabees “Pelican” music video. a friend pointed that out – glad they did.
“Nova Anthem” - Lower Dens (2012/Ribbon Music) unofficial video, edited by David Dean Burkhart using footage from the Apollo 11 launch.
listened to Nootropics on the drive home. thought of this video and that i’d reflected on it back in May, 2013, too. boomerang, baby.
leaving breadcrumbs to Apollo 11 Saturn V Launch Camera E-8 footage – so awesome – and DDB's video for Bear in Heaven’s “Cool Light”.
‘Adult Themes’ - El Michels Affair (2020/Big Crown Records)
started listening to the larger list of tracks again tonight, this time opening with El Michels Affair’s “Enfant”, an instant ear-worm since hearing via DJ Pili Pili on KALX a week-or-so ago. followed by Sparks' “Sextown USA”, which i picked up from qb(X)’s set leading into Pili Pili that same night (and maybe in that order… !), then “Much Obliged” by the Allman Betts Band.
yeah, ok, alright. that’s one way to start… !
“Creep (feat. Radiohead) [Very 2021 rmx]” - Thom Yorke (2021/Beggars) artwork by Jun Takahashi/UNDERCOVER
some just want to see the world burn… ( •̀ᴗ•́ )و ̑̑
bedtime – have an early call with the Lady tomorrow morning.
ok, bye bye!
channel surfing
‘WandaVision’ - (2021/Marvel Studios) directed by Matt Shakman, created by Jac Schaeffer
started this a few weeks ago and got back into episodes this week.
ooowee!!! even Wanda has a “Wanda”… !
‘Maps of Home - ACTION EDIT’ - John John Florence (2021)
watched after ‘GQ Sports Breakdown’ videos featuring John John and Kolohe Andino.
watching more surfing vids – super badass… !
‘Rawhide Braiding’ - Essential Craftsman (2021)
Youtube suggestion, likely due to the increased volume of farrier videos… i watched it, of course – very cool.
Essential Craftsman has a lot of construction content, watched another video on using a tape measure – learned some neat things!
“help yourself, fresh lemon”
spotted yesterday on the walk to dinner.
made a sign for some glass jars we offered curbside.
sketched out ideas and lettering. kept it simple.
bottom right sketch was the last – then tracing, and inking.
scanned the inked version before launch this afternoon. here it is with an after-the-fact digital adjustment: bigger jar.
worried no one would want our jars, but that box got scooped pretty quick. guess it had curb appeal… ha!
happy of myself and this process – yay!
everyday shapes
watched ‘My Favorite Shapes…’ a few weeks ago – inspired.
lost one of my favorite shapes not long ago (so long sweet hand fan…) and worried i lost another on Tuesday.
keeping record of my shapes more explicitly now, starting with my everyday shapes:
bright, orange, and reminds me of a friend – makes me happy ;)
keys: essential. Alaska keychain is a recent addition – an indirect souvenir.
DIY leather notebook cover carrying two (sometimes three) pocket Moleskines.
multi-pen, currently inked with two black Monteverde refills and two Pilot refills: one green, one red.
Monteverde > Pilot
yellow leather wallet, yellow leather wallet, yellow leather wallet
upgrade – birthday gift to myself.
“incognito mode” sunnies. longest lasting pair, nearly a decade now… ?
tea tree toothpicks – nice alternative to chewing gum.
impulse buy with pharmacy training memory attached. liking this “flavor”, too.
this just in: new hand fan. from the Portland Japanese Garden, same as last; but also different. still getting acquainted, and will not be carried in my back pocket…
view from the desk yesterday. clouds looked real high – probably cirrus? want to remember this.
and this, a little later on, too.
had a difficult time writing yesterday – going back and forth and feeling stuck between. thought i’d be able to tie things off, but ended up needing more time. that’s ok, there are no deadlines here. need to remember that.
slow down – there’s no rush. take the time you need.