I may make an impetuous decision regarding my current employment, but I’ve been thinking about changes for a few weeks now without saying anything to the boss. Do I take another risk or stick with regular pay in this really difficult American job market? Deep down, I know the answer, but I just don’t know the next step which is pretty important. I will say that a plane ride to some place new is in order, and it looks like flying into Cork will be cheaper than London-Gatwick!! A big “HMMMMMMmmmm…”
I’ve been thinking about traveling in October or November to any of the following cities: New York, Boston, Chicago, Austin, and Chino. Chino? It’s on the list only because a cousin lives there; I’d go to other places in southern California, too, of course. Porto’s would be on my list. I’m aware that it’s not a city.
I turned on the tv this morning, and ABC News was doing their travel segment on Chicago! I only caught the last five minutes or so, but maybe that should be the first place on the itinerary. They did mention a Jim Henson exhibit which would be great. Maybe it’s time I signed up for that museum membership that gets me into NARM which I should have learned about in art school but didn’t. Well, it looks like the Museum of Science and Industry is not a part of that program, but that won’t stop me from joining. There will be plenty of museum trips in the coming year for sure, especially if I leave the restaurant industry.
Outside of the country, I’d think about London and Cork because I have relatives who live out there, and I’ve been dying to get to any place in Europe. Australia would be great, and things would be warming up there as we head into winter here in the Bay Area. Two friends and a cousin would be nice enough to give me a place to stay if I ask nicely enough and/or buy booze.
Japan and the Philippines are always on the list, but those will have to wait till next year or 2011.
All this means I’m mentally checking out of my current job, but it is time to move on.
Where else besides the Unocal 76 in Benicia, CA can you fill up your car on gas and fill up your stomach with Indian food for $5? The guy behind the counter even said, “Long time no see, buddy,” and I’ve only been there three or four times. I may have written in a previous post that I don’t normally eat food from gas stations, but you’ll have to try it for yourself before you judge me.
In other good news, my niece started kindergarten today! Woo! First my older niece starts driving and now this. Can life slow down a little bit, please?
You had me at Grindhouse and Sky High. One of my friends even made me watch one of those Final Destination movies which is very far from what I like in movies.
Just saw Scott Pilgrim last night, and though I never got around to reading the source material, I found it enjoyable. Sure, it probably won’t strike the same chords outside of geekdom, but it has good laughs and great visuals AND the above actress.
Even though I’ve been a Michael Cera fan in the past, this movie shows a weaker side to his acting. You can excuse him by saying that he only plays the same character over and over, but the director should have at least pushed for a better delivery of some lines. Overall though, it makes me want to check out the comics, and it provides one of more unique visual experiences for moviegoers. Go see it and geek out!
I’m just going to come out and say it. Holy shit am I tired during the work week. I will admit that I’ve been daydreaming about finding another line of work, especially in anything art/media related. I miss my weekends and my time with family and friends. I miss wasting time in cafes and bookstores where I was supposed to draw and develop ideas for comics when I would really end up just drinking a lot of caffeine, eating some pastries, and reading comic books.
I want to travel and see some place new, eat delicious food, sketch in the streets of a foreign city, travel by plane and rail. I want to spend hours in museums, bars, libraries, and airports. Maybe I should drive across the country with art supplies and my knife roll and see who will give me work. It sounds like I’d make a good transient or hobo. I’ve read Into the Wild and seen the movie, and I wouldn’t want to get my ass beat by those guys who guard the railroads.
It’s 3:50am, and I don’t want to sleep. There’s that San Francisco magazine that one of the managers let me borrow. It’s the food issue about local chefs and restaurants that stand out. There are a couple of library books to get to and a manga tpb that I could finish. Just checked in on one of my friends’ blogs. I remembered that I should post some drawings on mine.
Arrested Development sure is a hilarious show. Any script that can throw in “…big redwood of a whore” is okay in my book.
In other news, I actually posted something on my sketch blog and have officially gotten back to drawing thanks to the inspiring Pixar exhibit at OMCA. I will definitely join at some level, so I can go back with family and friends.
Watched Inception with lman1138 on Tuesday and then watched Memento on Wednesday. Both are well-crafted. Maybe Memento even more so, but I might have to watch Inception again because I may have not been paying close enough attention.
The first time I watched Memento was years ago at Earl’s parents’ house at 2am, and we weren’t able to grasp what was going on. The second viewing yesterday made a lot more sense. Pretty amazing stuff actually.
In other news, today is the official start of Comic-Con 2010. My brother, my friends, and I are not there. Waaaaaaaah…
I’ve been sick for six days, and I want it to stop now. I took it easy today, spent some time with my older niece, and watched some good stuff like The Orphanage, a few episodes of Ren and Stimpy Vol. 1, a couple of episodes of Spongebob Squarepants season 1, and Pan’s Labyrinth for the second time. Pan’s Labyrinth sure is a rough one to watch at times because of it’s graphic violence. I definitely prefer when movies leave most of the gore off camera, but lucky for me my neck works perfectly fine, and I can just turn away from the screen for a few seconds whenever the nasty parts happen.
Time to do something productive before I go to sleep. Or maybe I’ll just sleep.
Am I working too much and not thinking about anything else? Am I learning enough at work? When am I going to start drawing comics again? What about my sketchbooks and paints? Did I make the most out of the only three day weekend I’ve had since January? Why have a blog post that like this one? Did Chef want me to come in today, so she could have the night off? Why is the restaurant business so stressful sometimes? Am I finally going to quit Facebook…and Netflix? What do I want to learn about food and cooking in the next couple of months?
What is going to happen to my two blogs?
The only thing I know right now is that I’m going to crack open a beer here at home for the first time in a long time. Here’s to the start of another work week and …getting back to jogging again.
As the last bite of Cinnamon Toast Crunch entered my mouth, I realized that I had eaten all three of the mini cereal boxes that had arrived in the plastic bag containing my Sunday newspaper. I can’t help it because breakfast cereals, even though some of them are loaded with sugar and crap we shouldn’t be consuming, are delicious.
The other epiphany while chewing said sugary treat was this: I’d be an easy target for a professional killer. All she or he would have to do would be to lace some Cocoa Pebbles with an untraceable chemical that would make my heart stop, put the cereal box on my driveway with some fake coupons to make it look authentic, and I’d happily eat it no questions asked. It would be a sad way to go, but that’s what I’d get for lacking willpower in the face of palm oil-laden crunchiness.
Would I stop at cereal? What if someone put a whole, piping hot Zachary’s pizza or a plate of taco truck-style soft tacos on that concrete slab in front of my home? I don’t want to think about it.
Just for the record, the other two cereals were Trix (with some new swirl feature) and Golden Grahams. Keep in mind that I hadn’t eaten any of these in at least seven or eight years. Also, consider that I haven’t quite organized my thoughts of what had been going on the past couple of months, so this is the blog post you’re going to get.
I’d better sleep. I need to buy some more milk thanks to the generous folk at General Mills.
My friend, Len, recently won a contest, and I thought that was pretty neat. So, I was surprised when I checked my mailbox this morning to also find a package for me. I knew right away that I hadn’t won a contest because I hadn’t entered any. Regardless, the excitement was there because I knew my other friend, Matt, had sent me a copy of his book–Imaginary Jesus–a few days ago.
I’m only on page 39, but it’s already great, especially the part where’s he’s transported back to the comic shop that we used to work at. Sure, he divulges the existence of Hate Club which was supposed to be like discussing Fight Club with people not in Fight Club, an indescretion punishable by terrible things and mostly humiliation. Wait. I can’t remember if that was a strict rule of our Club or not which is par for me; I always felt that I had somehow just made the cut for HC. Even so, I still get emails and invites to reunions that haven’t quite happened yet. Oh. Back to Matt’s novel.
Where will the story go?? Already, there’s been a chase, a talking donkey, and an apostle in Matt’s home. I might stay up to finish it since I’m full of steak, guasacaca, matchstick fries, savory bread pudding, and housemade ketchup thanks to family meal at work.
Congrats, Matt! The existence of this blog was never shared with HC, but if I tag it appropriately, maybe you or one of the others will find it. Or I’ll just tell you when I see you in July.
