It has been chaos around our house today. This morning, Home Depot dropped off a truckload of materials at 8:30AM. Shortly after that, our neighbor knocked on the door and (I thought he was going to get all neighbor-nosey and ask what we were doing to the house), he told me that since I’m such an animal lover, he thought I’d like to know that there’s a great big german shepherd loose in our backyard.

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OMG – Does it really matter what channel the Administration has on the TV’s of Air Force One? Really? Is this what it’s all boiled down to?

Nah, that reporter shouldn’t have asked about the rising price of gas. He should’t have asked about a million other really important issues. Reporters should always and forever be interested in the stupid crap, the seriously trivial & stupid crap that screams “it figures” in our country. And look who reports the senseless drivel! The same station who is reporting this crap is wasting the Administration’s time having to watch it and read about it on the news now, thanks to this stupid reporter.

That guy got a PAYCHECK for that!! Ridiculous!

Now I know why I don’t watch the news. I just wasted 10 minutes typing about what freakin’ TV stations people watch on an airplane!

This website, Chinadaily , has a section that has displayed a couple of my photographs lately (here, and here). I’m guessing it’s a community section of some kind? I don’t know. I’ve followed the referral links back to them and sadly, someone manipulated one of my photographs and cropped out my copyright. That’s against my Terms of Use, folks. That image should be replaced with an unaltered version – and those of you here from China that speak English – please handle that for me, as no one from Chinadaily is replying to my e-mails. Yet. *Updated to add* They do link back, yes – and I appreciate that and am very flattered by the interest in my work! There’s just the one little croppy issue, still, that needs to be addressed.

Anyhoo. Back on topic.

This page here, this is new. And I translated it (babel fish), but I still don’t get it. Help?

??beautiful ?life

[ 2006-04-19 15:04 ]

?Dan ?: “In life America is to ?the existence, ?to I ?eye, lacks America, but is lacks ??.”

Http://www.intricateart.com/blog/,also ?, life originally very ordinary, the life very is originally light, but if ?has one ?is good at ??the eye, ?has ??myriad things curious hearts, in the body ?ordinary world also ?has ?the unclear enchanting beautiful scene. The website author is the ??family, she ?feels in the life with ??family’s unique judgement ?you each kind of each ?America… … (Peng is abundant)

I think I’m flattered, but I’m not sure?

In other news, I had another vivid dream lastnight.

My own personal thought police (see Thursday Thirteen #26) allowed me to vent yesterday, because otherwise I would have been found on the floor of my living room, kitchen, dining room or studio (I pace. a lot.), dead from an axiety attack or something.

Those of you who stopped by and offered your words of support, I thank you. I know that you only joined me in my anger and that it was a temporary passion that caused the words to fly, and it is what it is. Those of you made uncomfortable by the situation, I understand.

As a business owner and visual artist I had every right to take the action necessary to protect my copyrighted materials. And that’s where it ends. My content has been removed from the domain; I’ve been in contact with the artist and things have been resolved.

Usually when my thought police kick in it’s because of situations like this, so let’s not allow this to get all distorted and hateful. It happened, it’s over, we’re moving forward now.

Did you ever wish you could just say something so brutally honest to someone about how you feel, but can’t? Did you ever wonder how you would feel to just be able to get that out of your head?

I wish sometimes I could be the kind of person who has the ability to NOT say what I’m thinking. I have this horrible habit of being honest. Still, though, there’s this part of me that holds back. Unless, of course, I know I’m safe. Safe from judgement, safe from ridicule, safe from having to face the consequences of uttering the thoughts I long to speak.

Then the paranoia sets in. Can the people I trust be trusted? Why is everyone staring at me? Do I have something in my teeth? Oh no, someone told on me, my icky thoughts are common knowledge, now what do I do? Does my butt look big in these pants? You’re lying to me, I just know it.

Let’s pretend you have voices in your head, too. Let’s pretend they get icky sometimes – just humor me – what do they say? Share with me one sentence you would like to say to just one person, get the ick out of your head while the subject of your affection remains blissfully unaware. Just a nameless, shameless, random ick that you need to unload. I suppose some people’s cups never runneth over – in that case, you could just tell me how you handle your ick.

Here’s another underpainting, this is Littles, an 8″ x 8″ oil portrait. Both Joey & Littles will take a day or two to dry before I can work their next layer(s).

Joey and Littles are two cat portraits that I’m working on in oils. This is the underpainting of Joey’s portrait. Joey’s painting is small (4″ x 4″), so it will probably only need one more layer of fur and enhancements before he’s finished.

Fake Bullet Holes : Fun, or Irresponsible?
(see samples here)

(image from bullet-hole-decals.com)

Do you think these decals on cars are entertaining? Do you think they should be banned? Do you think that they give the impression that the neighborhood that the decorated car is from is one that you wouldn’t choose for your family, let alone for your family van? If the owner of one of these decorated vehicles stopped to ask you directions – would you feel uneasy? Or is this something you don’t even think about when you’re around a car that’s seen “gunfire”?

Littles (the larger 8×8 canvas) and Joey (the small 4×4) are two kitties I’ll be painting (in oils) over the next week or so. I’ve got them sketched onto the canvas and will start working on their underpaintings tomorrow.