Everyone comes to the Freak Show, to laugh at the Freaks and the Geeks

As a bit of an intro to the company, New Boss gave me some notes on a full-page ad that either they just did or they are about to do. Said to take the weekend and see what I can come up with. Now, I could go over-the-top creative, but I know that one of the main things he needs right now is someone that can recreate things to spec, so I chose to go a little more conservatively in my layout, following his (hard-to-read) specs. This feels more like a time for precision, not art.

Took a little longer than I wanted, but I haven't done this kind of thing in a long time, I'm still using a VERY old copy of Photoshop, and I'm still working on this crappy old computer. I feel pretty good about it, and it gives me a benchmark on where my speed and skill levels are. That all being said, I see that I'm still my own worst critic, and am not truly satisfied with it, but I'm-a go with it anyway.

Biggest hope right now is that this all works out, and I'll have the money to get a new machine in the near future. This beast is the box i had built back in 2007, it's still running WinXP, and it's been dying a slow death for a few years now. Just have no money to upgrade.

So, you may recall that I left Jiffy Lube last month, just gave my two weeks notice and walked. It was a bit of a scary move, doing so without another job lined up, but it was something I felt I needed to do. I decided that I needed a couple of weeks to just recenter myself, and I had the money in the bank to do so without worries.

Well, that 2 weeks turned into a month, something which I firmly blame on Skyrim (gawd help me, not only have I fallen completely into it, I bought a copy for Jessica and SHE'S hooked). I did finally start looking, but I fully admit I didn't put as much energy into it as I should have. Easy to fall into a rut, you know? Now, that being said, I just put in a resume to be a Territory Manager for Valspar (paints, industrial coatings, etc.). No word yet on that.

Today, middle of the afternoon, I get a text asking if I'm working today. No clue who sent it, don't recognize the number. Turns out that this is a former customer of mine that to whom I had spoken about graphic design and whatnot. That was something like 18 months ago, but he still had my number. He's at a point where he needs a designer on staff, and called me to talk.

I scooted my big ass over to his office (all of ten minutes away!), and we shot the breeze for a good hour and a half. I met the rest of the office, we discussed possibilities, yadda yadda yadda. In the end, he's not sure if he wants me for an artist, or if he wants me for some other reason...but he wants me there. Can I start Monday morning?

O.o - Um, YEAH.

How in the HELL did that happen? Dunno, don't care. I like what I'm seeing, what I'm hearing.

Christ, it was a punch in the gut to read of the death of Christopher Lee this morning. Don't get me wrong, he has well earned the rest, but this was a titan to me.

Fact is, the term 'legend' gets tossed about like it means little, and indeed, in this day and age of quickly manufactured and quickly dismissed substance, I almost want to avoid the term...but I fear that trying to find a way to describe his legacy would only devolve into excessively florid language.

He truly is a legend. His body may be lost to us, but he is yet immortal.

I have a fairly low opinion of human society, this is no secret. Sure, there are persons that I like and treasure, but in general, I don't think much of humanity. Then, I run across moments like this one, and I just kinda want to cry.

- Wal-Mart Fight -

This actively saddened me

- The woman in the scooter who obviously didn't need it. Too lazy to walk around? Sure got up out of that seat to fight fast enough.

- The complete lack of social grace, manners, or even consideration. No clue what this fight was even about, could barely hear them, but...seriously? What could possibly neeed to go this far?

- The sheer idiocy of the situation. You're fighting in a Wal-Mart aisle, for the luvva. You're bitch-wrasslin' in the shampoo area. There's no part of this that isn't going to make you look like a moron.

- The child...oh, god, the child. That made me saddest. This child's actions, reactions, speech. his mother, his mother, calling on him to punch the other woman in the face. The total and willful lack of respect. you have no doubts of the kind of man he'll grow up to be.

- The first impulse being to laugh and film. Add to this, the conversation later about how it's better, nowadays, not to try and break it up for fear of being caught up in a lawsuit.

There's not a single thing here that doesn't bother me. Sure, this is a bit extreme, not everyone is this bad...but it's terrible that ANYONE is like this, much less how often I see and hear the opening to this. Do they follow through? No, usually someone backs down or thinks better of the consequences, but why be like this at all? Stupid, STUPID little things that make low-class, low-intelligence people feel the need to puff up and alpha out, basing their entire being on postures of strength and violence. 'Cause, y'know, we aren't inundated with THAT shit every day.

Thanks to all of you who have a brain, and some ethics. Thanks to all who try to resolve conflicts in a civil manner. Thanks to all who raise their children to respect each other and the world. Thanks for those that have and teach manners and gentility.

And damn the rest of you.

I have a bit of a rep for being fairly "bah, humbug" about the holidays. Honestly, it's not that I dislike them, I just get very tired and annoyed very quickly by the weird forced joy and insane consumerism, especially when it is combined with an inability to get away from the constant music (don't get me started on the fact that so many musicians feel the need to put out a holiday record with their own spin on the music).

Sorry, little off-topic swerve, there.

Anyway, I don't actually hate the time, just the expectations. I'm more likely to have fun if I am not forced into it. Hell, I've spent entire work days in the garage in a Santa hat while working on cars, just for the goofiness of it. I amused the entire art department of Graceland by singing "Blue Christmas" at the top of my lungs. Jessica and I have a 4-foot fake purple tree.

So, in the end, here's me wishing all of you the best of the season. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Spiritually Fulfilling Equinox, Rockin' Festivus, Cool Yule, Sweet Saturnalia, and Happy Holidays to you all.

Now, get that spirit in your heads...and keep it all through the year. No reason to only be excellent to each other for a few days, when we can do it all the time.

While indulging in a bit of alcoholic relaxation tonight, I came up with a toast that I am fairly proud of. I posted this to FB (because that's where you post when you are drinking, natch), but I liked it enough I want to make sure it's not forgotten.

"Drink to the future, drink to the past, drink for the friendships that truly do last, drink to the sun and drink to the moon, and drink for the fun that is over too soon."

I like being a wordy bastard.

(Crossposted like a mafacko)

Haven't posted here much in the last year. Partly, my work schedule takes me away from everything more than i care to admit, partly a bit of burn-out, whatever. Gotta admit, though, I miss the old place. So, thinking of opening the windows, airing it out, giving it a bit of a dust, and firing it back up.

Gonna try to make a regular thing of posting. I was never one who was so happy about Facebook and any other 'social media'. I avoided it for a long time until I found it to be the one place I could try and keep up with an old friend who might have been dying. Well, several years later, she's (thankfully!) still alive, but I hang around there because most other people are there, primarily. Still, it's just not for me.

'Social Media'...ha. Used to be that I'd get together with friends and we'd talk, laugh, game, goof around, etc. Now, I see groups of people gathered together to stare at their own smartphones. Not my kind of hang-out. Just a couple nights ago, I took Jessica and her mom out to dinner. As we walked to our table, it seemed that every group I passed had at least half the table playing with phones or tablets. Kids included! It is no surprise to me that children seem to have such low interaction skills and abilities, we aren't teaching them how to act in public, how to speak and converse, or how to deal with the world around them. Sorry, topic swerve, but it was on my mind.

Anyway, FB has it's use, but it's not as good for discussion and pondering. Heya, LJ, I missed you.

Dunno who all is still around here, reading, so gimme a holler.

I'm a huge fan of Space: 1999, and a big fan of both UFO and Thunderbirds, so it was with a bit of sadness that I learned of Gerry Anderson's death today. He'd suffered form mixed dementia, and was 83, so maybe this was a release. I can't really be sad, as his creations will continue to entertain me.

You'll be remembered, sir.

My phone rang this morning, it was work calling. I picked it up and simply said "I'm not coming in to work today, Jay!" There was a short pause before he replied "I'm not asking you to, just had a question...". I laughed, but I was serious. ;)

Got T'giving dinner, finally, cooked by MIL. Got laundry done. Got supplies at the store. Got to sit my happy ass down on the couch and watch a movie, holy shit. I'd forgotten what it felt like to have a true day off!

House is almost completely unpacked. Slowly but surely looking less like a warehouse and more like a home. Feels good to not have dog mess, dust, and various craperoo everywhere.