Blue: The New Green

I like the drawing from yesterday so much that I just wanted to draw it again. Blue is quickly becoming my new favorite color. It feels right; fits with my current mindset.

On that topic, I'm actually a little depressed today. It's a funk that's come and gone for the past couple of years. Could be environmental (it's raining again today), but the feeling that accompanies it has a weird weight attached. I feel like something is pulling me down; like I need to go lay down for a while or find the next bright, shiny thing that will distract me.

Plan for the day: I think I will go home, drink a cup of coffee, and catch up on my homework.

Plan for the rest of my life: equalize the atmosphere inside and outside of my body to prevent being crushed by the pressure of existence.

Deep Sleep and Los Amigos

The right mix of coffee and benadryl kept me up long enough to get some massive studying done last night. By the time the allergy medication took hold I had finished a solid block of cramming for my Spanish exam this morning. Don't actually remember the alarm going off, only that I was staring at the numbers and realizing I was going to be late.

Had an interesting small group session last night. Through fluke or design only a few of us made it out, but it was an amazing night. Hysterical laughter was so contagious that we were all affected at one point or another. After the first fifteen minutes I began to suspect there was some kind of gas leak in the apartment, though I finally concluded that this is how people act when they are among friends and totally at ease.

These were the nights of Bible-study that I had been missing for the past few months. Our group has grown a lot in the past year since we've started attending, first doubling in numbers, and then tripling. While it's heartening to see new people show up, I've worried that we've grown too large to manage. The fact of the matter is that it's too difficult to conduct a round-table discussion with a large crowd. The conversation thread is too easily lost as more and more people vie to speak their piece.

Last night was nice though, in that everyone was engaged in the discussion.

Velocity Increase

I did a bad thing over the weekend. I forgot to call mi madre y mi hermano on their birthdays. I am very truly sorry that I forgot, especially since my brother and I have gotten a lot closer this month. I totally suck.

There are a lot of other things I am letting slip through my fingers these days. It's easy to blame school and make excuses that I've been too busy, but the truth is that even busy people make time to call their family and check in on people (and not just on their birthday either). So here's a list of things I need to do:

• Call my mom and wish her a happy belated birthday
• Call my brother and also wish him a happy belated birthday.
• Call my dad and finish the conversation we started over a week ago.
• Call my other brother and see how he, his wife, and his new baby are doing.
• Call my sis just to say hello and check in.

Besides phone calls I also need to carve out time that we can drive down and visit everyone. Top of the list is to go down to watch the new Star Trek movie with my dad the week it comes out early next month (5-7-09ish) and log in some hiking time on the Chief Logan State Park trails.

Our weekend dynamic has been unbalanced for the past month or so with various church and school commitments, But I'm hoping it will all settle down from now on so I can focus on the important things.

The Achilles Back

Just a brief commentary in the form of a comic today to announce that I am being killed off by the Weight x Distance formula.

Bragging rights to finish out the week: I scored a 90% on my math midterm. Huzzah!

The Strands

Last night in small group we were posed the question, "What is your life's mission statement?" and then went around the room with each person briefly rolling out their life philosophy. I was surprised by some of the responses, mainly because they confirmed what I had already suspected. It was the same validation you get from watching puzzle pieces slide into place, and made all the better because you realize you love these people for all the things that make them unique.

My wife's response was one beautiful sentence, "I want to help people." Wonderfully straightforward. Unrehearsed. From the heart. I admire her for that.

Meanwhile, various concepts race through my head trying to dredge up an appropriate self-proposed point of existence: rehearse, edit, rehearse, edit. Okay, got something. With my feet propped on the coffee table, I speak my heart:

"I've always felt that I was a leaf in the wind, with no real plan. Just experiencing life. But
now that I'm a Christian, I trust that there is an intelligence behind the currents, and I go where I'm sent with new purpose." Rehearsed, but still true.

I usually have a cup of coffee in my hand during group. It's my prop. I wave it in the air to make poignant gestures, or take a long sip to emphasize a point (also for hiding my expression when courtesy demands it). Not tonight though, drinking caffeine in the evening throws a wrench in my sleep schedule and these days every morning is an early morning.

No Time To --

I am way out of time today, but I figured that a small post is better than none. "Sound-bytes" as my wife describes these new, brief snippets, but oh well.

I've got my first big math exam this evening. Time to see if actually doing my homework for a change will pay off. I'm not worried though.

I'm going to try and see if I can declare a Biology major this week. As a marriage of convenience it will give me access to more/better funding opportunities as well as health insurance (oooh yeah!), and an overall feeling of legitimacy as I forge ahead in my prerequisites for med school.

Desert Life

Another rain-drenched morning in this Desert Ohio, though I no longer mind. I thought I'd take a break from the story of Kxletrotl for a couple of life announcements today.

First off, I'm happy to say the Ohio Art League has finally paid the money for the piece I sold back in December. This comes at about the same time that the director of OAL, Sean Cooper, announced that the league is no longer able to pay him, thus like many of us is out of a job.

Secondly, my wife has been accepted into not one, but two law schools, and is being offered a nice scholarship from the one she really wants to attend. I am very proud of her. Estoy muy orgulloso de mi esposa!

One Million Years Later...

And so Kxletrotl ate everything in that faraway land until there was nothing left but desolation. The only distinguishable landmark was the giant's corpulent form, which was visible for many miles away. He had eaten so much that he was unable to move.

One million years passed, and Kxletrotl was subjected to the harshest elements. The sun beat down on his hide in the summer and icy winds froze his limbs in the winter. All the while his stomach ached from all that he had eaten.

His existence was torturous. Beset from without and within, he longed for a reprieve.

The Eater Comes Full Circle

Out of the wastes walked Kxletrotl and he was surprised at what he saw on the other side. A verdant world filled with all sorts of delicious things stretched as far as he could see. Immediately he began devouring the creatures that lived there to sate his terrible hunger.

Kxletrotl's grip slackened enough that Bird was able to break free and fly off. He cried out in anguish and warning to all the creatures of that faraway land, ashamed of himself for bringing the Great Eater out of the wastes.

This is why all of Bird's children cry out in anguished shrieks, even to this day.

Bird and Kxletrotl

Kxletrotl followed Bird's directions, which led into the Western Wastes. Amongst shifting dunes and an overcast sky, the giant walked in silence. All the while Bird was helpless to escape his grasp.

"Perhaps if you let me go, I can fly high enough to scout out the area and then tell you how far we have to go," Bird suggested.

"I'm not letting you go until I have eaten. Otherwise, I will eat you instead."

Bird sighed.

"Keep walking west. Food is beyond this desert."

Forest Walk

Kxletrotl roams far and wide, wading through treetops and swimming the seas. Hunger drives him, though he cannot find sustenance. Bird asks, "Where are you going in such a rush?" and is snatched up in Kxletrotl's massive hand.

"I am hungry, Bird. Where might I find something to eat?"

"Come. I will show you."

Hunger Pang :Þ

Kxletrotl erupts from the molten womb and is overcome by a mighty hunger. Against a constellation-strewn backdrop the towering form moves, cooling lava globules dripping in its wake.

And so the prophesy of Hohteppa was fulfilled:

"Monstrous new deities walk the earth in the small hours, cast off mountains to mark their wanderings."

His footprints formed valleys. The lava that fell from him formed mountains. And so the land was renewed wherever Kxletrotl walked.

The Birth of Kxletrotl

Wow, this is the 101st post on the Eater Blog. Way cool. I couldn't have done it without you, gentle reader. You are a true friend.

With a mere 48 minute window between my Spanish and Math, I am training myself to post faster. So expect a higher volume of posts in the weeks to come, but not edited to the usual Eater Standard.

Today's pic is of Kxletrotl, a character that has come into existence standing waste deep in a pool of lava. He has quickly determined that his circumstances must change to ensure his survive.

New Walk

We took a walk around Grandview last night on a path that approximated something close to a perfect square. The colors found in nature during the first weeks of spring are amazing. I tried to capture some of them in Photoshop, but it's not really the same, as you can see.

I set up an Etsy shop last night to start selling my artwork over the internet. Dad was actually the first to suggest doing something like this way back during last summer, though I lacked the know-how to get started. My friend Brandi provided me with a solution when she started selling her jewelry through her blog a couple of weeks ago. Up until yesterday, I really hadn't even heard of Etsy, but it looks like the exact thing I'm looking for. Here's the link to my very own art-selling store. It's empty for now of course, but I starting a new painting last night that will get posted later this week. This way I don't have to mess with galleries and whatnot. Woo!

Them Cheeky Adhoc Idols

Actually good news today. My brother has come into town on business and we are meeting for lunch in a couple of hours. Rarely do we get visitors from my home planet, so this is a remarkable occasion to roll out the red carpet. (The last visit from my family was made by my mother and step-dad about 18 months ago)

On a side note, Easter is coming up fast. It's a shame that I keep attracting false idols though. I've got piles of the things-- the usual: sex, drugs, and rock & roll-- Minus the drugs, thought I've been hitting the vitamins pretty hard as of late. Yummm, calcium...

The Beast Returns

The temperature dropped low enough for them to anticipate snow showers today. It would seem that winter stalks me even in April. The horror...

I'm wondering if they're doing Agora this spring. Supposedly, it's next month based on their website, but we haven't been bombarded daily with reminder e-mails as was the case with the event's prior incarnations. This could either be due to lack of funding, focus, or something else.

I'm reluctant to submit artwork to this show. What if my work sells and they decide to keep the money for themselves? Yes, you know this sounds familiar. I'll more than likely submit something, though it'll be much more lowkey than the Spaghetti Western installation I built for Agora V.

Beyond the Wall of Sleep

Now that I'm back in school, I have access to a more recent version of Photoshop, as well as machines with the processing power to run it. What does this newer technology mean for the Eater Blog? Nothing really, except it speeds up actually blogging time as I can draw pictures faster. Woo.

On the home front, the ant invasion continues. Even though they are out-gunned by squishing, poison traps, and other nefarious weapons, the invaders have one advantage: numbers. I've killed hundreds of them, blocked their access paths, yelled at them-- but all for naught-- the ants keep coming.

Their strategy is simple and effective. I've mapped it out in a two step algorithm: Explore kitchen. Repeat.

Didn't want to spend the entire post talking about it, but I haven't gotten any sleep this week. I've averaged about 4-5 hours of sleep per week night, which is interesting simply for the fact that I'm holding up fairly well.