No social life, but man, I'm really happy how this piece is turning out. Might be my best work. It infuses alot of new experimental shapes, and motifs. It would look beautiful printed on paper... Now that I have a job, I have some extra disposable income to spend. I might...
An irreverent and ornery driver cuts you off endangering your life, and to put a cherry on top, flips you the middle finger.
Your choice:
Road Rage and go all vigilante on their ass and lay on your horn and tail gate them! You obviously were following the law, going the speed limit, maybe even going faster to allow for more space between the cars so the upcoming a-hole driver in the rear view could pass more easily.
If only you were Warthog, and Life was like Twisted Metal II...
Or the prudent choice,
You just let them zoom by, and daydream that a few miles down the road, that their self destructive nature ends up causing them to wrap themselves around a tree. Poor tree...
I'm sure all of you have experienced this if you drive.
Most of the time, the person who wronged you is miles down the road, but you let it ruin your whole day, you simmer about it, you think about it, HOW AUDACIOUS THAT M-----RRRR!!!! (That's a censored expletive, not a pirate sound.)
In the meanwhile, that person who cut you off and flipped you a bird is living life, unaffected, leaving you to wallow in your anger, unless you just let it go.
Take all that anger and spit it out, and forget that it ever happened...
After such a transgression, you can either be the accomplice, or be the Unaffected victim.
There will be nothing solved by Reacting only harm done when you let those things that do not matter control you indirectly by consuming your productive time and mental well being.
That is how Life is like Road Rage, at least to me.
....
Many things have occurred since I moved to California to work for DBH and TF.
It's actually been quite overwhelming at times, but I suppose it is exactly what I've always wanted. I am not speaking about a job, a title, or the salary. I am speaking more a situation in which I can become a better man, a better person.
The position has become more than just choosing good art. It has quickly surpassed such clearly defined tasks to encompass more ambiguous roles that require me to make decisions or have opinions that affect the direction of the companies as well as affect individuals in direct connection to our business dealings.
It seems that my judgments are not confined to just art. And... in analysis, it somewhat suits me personality type. (INTJ: Test, Definition, Career)
It is a somewhat daunting place to be, to be given authority even if it's just to have your opinion valued...
Not only are your decisions or opinions going to directly affect situations, if they do not fair well, you will be held accountable to a higher degree.
Wait, I've been noodling on this blog too long, I need to move on to laundry and painting... Let me cut to the chase...
I Dont Mind Having My Ass on the Line.
I make decisions, I have opinions, I work my ass off to be accountable and do what is beyond necessary to help others as it is my nature to strive for the longer term result than immediate gratifacation. I try to give more than what I take, and there's a hella people out there that aren't on the level.
AND I am willing to be put under the same scrutiny and observation, as I strive to be a better man than yesterday, and if I be incorrect, I look forward to correction.
I am now done being affected, and am returning to my normal state. Laundry and Painting here I come.
;j
Inspired by Commodore 64 nostalgia, Amiga Video Toaster image, & Indian Test Pattern.
I assume this person is from Japan.
Check the food.
http://twitpic.com/photos/1mag3
also short sentences.
I recently turned 32. Happy Birthday old fart, here's some Eczema!
Overheard at IKEA from little girl, Mommy can we get All pink carpet?
I went to work at 5 am the other day. I am typically there by 6:30 am and even at 6 am, its incredibly bright and a handful of people are out walking or running. The first few days I went to work, I felt like I was in a dream. Twilight-ish, as if I had woken up at dusk, or some odd time when it is neither light nor dark when the ones that are awake are all solitary and live in another world...
The move to CA has been quite surreal; overall, it has been a perfect match.
I find solace in working. I work when I come home from work. It is in work that I find some sort of self worth and peace so it is no loss that I work maybe too much and do not live the normal life...
I seem to have been put in a position where I can help others, wherein my opinion matters, where I may affect even if slightly the lives of others... although....
REALLY...
Everyone... You...
have the power to affect the lives of others...
whether it be by a few words of praise,
a kind smile to a stranger,
by working hard ensuring that the burden is less by your presence,
so many things, small things, can be done, to greatly affect the lives of others.
It's amazing how little we may view our actions or even how a few words may affect overall but the result can be tenfold.
How bout an axiom or decree?
Take the least, give the most.
Cheers! ;j
5 Ways to Make Your Sucky Mac User Experience Awesome by Making it Work More Like a PC!
1. Why can't I Cut/Paste Files? Yeah, I said CUT, not copy, move, or make alias.
It should just work, but it doesn't. Here's a third party shareware update to add that functionality. Maybe they will have it when they make Scottish Fold Kitten OSX.
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/21769
2. Why can't I rename multiple files in a folder all at once like Explorer does on a PC?! You shut up non conformist! Buy our expensive machines, they're pretty. You shouldn't be working with files anyways!
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/16436
3. I sure do miss the simplicity of notepad.exe or wordpad.exe from the PC. (What? PCs come with two basic txt editors?) Textedit is major time teh suck. I guess I'll have to upgrade the most simple of utilities. At least the free upgrade is incredibly awesome! Thanks 3rd party developers!
http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/download.html
4. iTunes such a memory hog. I sure do long for winAmp, the no frills, just start and it goes without trying to sell you crap mp3/sound/video player.
Cog is buggy, but it sure sticks it to the man who makes iTunes.
http://cogx.org/download.php
5. You would think that when I hit maximize, the window would maximize to the size of the monitor? WTF?!
http://www.usingmac.com/2009/3/23/full-maximize-on-mac
....
I use both systems. Although I can't speak for Vista, a customized XP Professional is my preferred OS.
Here's something I think is incredibly awesome.
From most any browse command on a PC, say for example I am opening a file to send as an attachment, it automatically calls the regular PC explorers user interface...
I browse to the desktop and voila! The file I want to send is named oddly.
I can rename that file right then and there, while the program or browser is waiting for me to choose what file I want to send.
Small stuff like that that the OSX environment/finder does not have irritates the crap out of me. It's inefficient.
......
Also Closing a Window, does not mean, Closing a Window
Application window managment is ridiculously inefficient on the MAC.
If I minimize to the dock, but then I Alt Tab to the program, it doesn't recognize it. I have to specifically call it from the Dock. Frickin Idioctic!
If I have two windows of the same app open, ALT TAB... not your friend.
Also see #5 above.
It seems to me, that when simple issues like this or other issues arise, and I look for an answer, typically yes, there is an answer, but it's a complicated one.
Window management? Use Spaces or Expose.
File management? Get this plugin/tweak or just deal with it.
Fact is the Windows platform is still over 80% of the market share and has been largely been the platform of choice for many years.
That alone should tell you, more time to make the operating system more efficient and user friendly.
MACs are coming into their own, but I am not sold yet.
_____________
I complain with solutions Baby!
ENVIRONMENT
California is almost paradise.
The weather is wonderful.
Almost every day, I come home and open the windows, and leave the door open.
I don't even mind at night when the air chills, that leaving my windows open means that I can hear the neighbor's TV. They seem to be deaf. It's alright, I don't have a TV so it provides me a quiet break of the silence as I work or zone out on the internet.
Although I do not exercise, I like that everywhere I go, young people, middle aged people, old people are out exercising, whether it be pushing their babies in those wheeled things you push babies in, or running, or riding their bicycles with spandex on, even the chubby ones.
Maybe they will rub off on my and I too will start some sort of exercise regimen.
WORK
It takes me 8 minutes to get to work, maybe 12 minutes from work.
My coworkers are young, all hard working, positive individuals. We have a good team, and we seem to communicate openly now that the environment has changed. There is an air of excitement as we all work together as a machine, it feels as if we are on a winning team. I am glad to be part of the team. I've long been a loner, but I can see the value in a collective when the work required cannot be done by one. We all have our specialties.
I feel valuable there, which in anything seems to be the most important thing for anyone, to know that they are valued and worthy of attention. Over the past few years, reading John Maxwell/Zig Ziglar/Dale Carnegie etc, I've noticed that if sincerely done, being lavish in praise and hearty in approbation, not only helps to smooth and improve relations, but in doing so helps you realize the positives of those persons you look to praise.
This has to be done with thought, and not just empty selfishly motivated heart.
ART WORK/LIFE BALANCE
Currently, I'm still too heavily vested in my work to not take it home, but I figure that it will take a few months before I finally just work at work. Currently as I accomplish a decent level of efficiency with one task, another new task is absorbed, which is all fine as I would get bored if I was not challenged in such a way.
They also give me a tremendous amount of freedom. It's similar to my freelancing. If I conjure some new marketing tactic or an idea that might help our company, they don't mind if I run with it.
As far as my own artwork, I suppose it has suffered. It's to be expected as going from unemployed making art almost all the time, to working 50+ hours a week leaves very little time at night to create art. And on the weekends, at least for Friday and Saturday, I seem to crash and need to sleep more. LOL.
Either way, it's all good. I am exploring other artistic endeavors, and working for Teefury and DBH is necessary to build up my credibility and artist persona.
Besides especially for Teefury, like when I completed a good piece of art and I felt awesome for the accomplishment, when I consistently curate the best selling designs, I feel good that I TOTALLY KICK ASS. I suppose the self worth has now been transferred to my ability to curate and art direct, so the lack of being able to create art, hasnt really negatively affected me.
LOVE AND FRIENDS
I haven't really made the time to socialize in real life. I am not lonely.
I watched a film in which the couple on screen were in the older age, divorced, long after their children had grown up. I would be fine with that kind of life, waiting til I am older to get married.
I am not religious, (claim agnosticism, but influenced by Christian upbringing) but there is scripture that states that being married, being coupled, is almost more trouble than worth, that being single can be a great blessing. It's odd that Christian folk don't really stress that section of the Bible, cause Paul is stating the Ideal.
Although in my case, it's probably flawed to even mention it because I'm not using my singleness to devote my greater time share to worshiping God. Although I could probably spin it to say that I am investing my time in what I am most naturally talented to do, which is art, and work, which if God made me, is what he meant for me to do. Lawd knows I ain't no good with dealin with dem relationships! ;P
I am making alot of internet friends/connections as I have to speak with a ton of designers, and t-shirt fans, and related circles.
Although one may think internet friends are not real as in real like friends, with the level of interactivity and consistent time spent in awareness of each other, sometimes, maybe even more than sometimes, Internet friends are more real than real life friends. Internet friends, if you spend alot of time on the internet with social media, etc know you better than your real friends.
I don't mean to devalue my in real life friends, but if you allow it, the internet allows for a more truthful and intimate mental relationship than what you can create in real life. With the perceived protection of internet, that illusion of safety you feel not being face to face, I am more willing to express with internet people a larger degree of truth and my true identity.
Conversely, if any of my internet friends needs encouragement, all they need to do is express an inkling of want for approbation/reaction/praise/support, whether it be a twitter that seems to convey boredom/loneliness/anger/etc/need votes for a design/wants a reaction to a comment, people are more willing to back you up on the internet. (Although, if you run in polluted communities, there are those that will be more than willing to tear you down as well...)
Anyways, Im rambling. I should art, or do nothing.
Do nothing. I think I am going to meditate... Just sit still for 20 minutes.
Cheers
