Drawing With Sawyer

While we were all over at Dad & Ma's for the Patriots/Bills game, Sawyer & I drew a bunch of stuff.

We each drew an astronaut and a cyclops, and then I drew two other random things. I used a ball point pen for all of them, with some magic markers and a yellow highlighter for color.

MQ 2015 No.2

Today (Thursday) I hiked my favorite mountain of the Wapack Range, Pratt Mountain.

It was a great walk up, challenging enough to break me a sweat. The sky was blue, the air was cool & dry. I took many photos, both Instagram and 'normal'. I snagged some birch bark to draw on at the summit. I had almonds and a white chocolate Kit Kat. And I listened to Cocteau Twins "Blue Bell Knoll" and some Telefon Telaviv on the way down, plus I ended the walk with Major Lazer's "Peace is the Mission" in a rhythm-timed boot stomp. A great day.

Thanksgiving Inertia

When the calendar hits November...

...all the turkey can do it wait.

October Drawings

From last month:

Jack O'Lantern

Kinny-modo

Orange Sleestak

Cyclops - The Odyssey

Jake on a Ledge

A "Jake Burlap" drawing (ballpoint pen). Scotland, 1927, during the solar eclipse. Colored version later, as well as the story, on his site!

Movie Time

I went to see "Guardians of the Galaxy" in Gardner with Jason & Stacie & the kids, Sarah & the kids, Mom, and Jaymi & 2 of her kids, just as the skies opened for a downpour. It was pretty kick-ass. When we got home, Sawyer & I were drawing (as Cooper looked on), and I drew Groot from memory (no photo reference):

Unda Da Sea ♫

I drew this yesterday while drawing with my nieces Jackie, Helena and Georgia
at my brother Kevin's house.

I'm really happy with how it turned out.

March Method

This weekend I am gearing up toward a solid routine beginning on Monday.

I've been working out on a regular basis since early November, and drawing as much as possible. Now it's time to do even more. I am going to draw and/or write every day. I am going to sit down and figure out the second half of my life. And I am going back on the South Beach diet.

I have the exercise down (my arms and shoulders are more solid than they have ever been), and when it gets warm out the hikes and other outdoor activities will ramp it up even more, but the caloric intake needs to be regulated, and with the help of South Beach (again), reset. The next two weeks will contain NONE of the following: sugar, fruits, grains, alcohol (no biggie), ice cream, ½&½, or fancy (fatty) meats.

My biggest dream is to design (and have built) a house. I just need to figure out the most efficient way to make it happen.

P.S: Here are the last 2 days' drawings:

Yeah, this guy again...

Wyman's Pond Music Fest 5

Winter Storm Nika

Self portrait.

A Good Day

I ate right, I drew, I worked out.

The Resolution Proposition Declaration

I am not going to make any definitive resolutions on paper this year. If there is one thing I know about myself, it is that when I make resolutions, I sometimes break them out of spite. The kind of spite that says, "I don't care who tells me what I should do at any given time and/or place, I refuse to do it," even if that person is ME. I've had success in the past, but the less I write down (frequencies, beginning and end dates, quantities, etc...), the more I seem to achieve.

I've had this approach in mind ever since I left my job in October. I began to work out and draw more in November, and in December I truly ramped it up on both fronts. I worked out 11 times in December, and I drew something on at least that many days. January is 7 days old, and I already have two workouts and a rigorous snow-shoveling, plus three drawings and a hand-drawn calendar (see below) on paper.

So in the spirit of positive growth, yet without quantifying anything, I will say the following:

I will work out more, eat healthier, be more creative visually, be more social, and produce a fifth music festival in 2014. That is all.

Update (end of the month): The filled in calendar!

Happy New Year

I was up reading until 3 am last night, so I didn't get out of bed today until just before 11 am. I had cereal and coffee for breakfast. I spent the 'morning' reading "Nightwing" comics while I watched/listened to the "Happy Endings" marathon on VH1, and parts of the Winter Classic NHL game. Lunch was a roast beef sandwich, chips and iced tea. Supper was a turkey sandwich, a turkey wing, and half a cucumber. I spent some time drawing in the evening, and around 10:30 pm I worked out.

Christmas Eve & Day 2014

Eve: I arrived at 4 pm, and Ma had laid out an array of cold cuts, cheese & crackers, veggie plates and desserts for the impending family gathering that included everyone except Jason's California branch. I watched "Around the Horn" with Dad, Kevin & Jon; people ate at their convenience; I hung out with the kids in the back room; and we exchanged gifts from around 6:30 - 7:00.

I gave Kevin's boys Legos (plus "O.M.A.C." to Jared and a large-size Lego Stormtrooper flashlight to Drew); I gave Jackie & Helena & Georgia 100-page sketch books and special thin colored pens; I gave Celia pens and 3 canvases; and I gave Hayden a year's subscription to Surfing Magazine, plus a cool skull-shaped bottle.

I received the following from Dad & Ma:

• $50 AMEX card.
• All-natural Mexican candy canes.
• A 4-pack of Peet's coffee (8 oz. grounds). So far the Holiday Blend is good, the Garuda Blend is very good, and the Uzuri African Blend is okay.
• $45 GC to That's Entertainment.
• $25 GC to Barnes & Noble.
• $15 GC to McDonald's.
• A book about houses from Yankee Magazine.
• A handheld sliding game.

Also, I got a little tree from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and fifteen $2 scratch tickets from Kevin & Holly (net winnings: $12); $30 from Sarah & Jon; and a $50 Visa card from Jean Marie.

As usual, the evening flew by far too quickly. I stayed until around 9:30, and left at the same time as Sarah's branch.

Day: I spent today drawing, watching television, reading, and playing Lego Marvel Super Heroes on my PS3. I was going to go to Sarah's (along with Dad & Ma) for the afternoon, but I was enjoying the quiet (not to mention the coffee and candy canes!), and didn't feel like going anywhere.

Paper Manchu

July Interlude: Day 5

I slept in until 10 again. Breakfast was Mandarin oranges, a corn muffin and coffee. Lunch was half a pepperoni & mushroom pizza and Pepsi. I drew (see below). And at 6 pm I showered, and then ran a bunch of errands: comic shop, ATM ( I got my 3 mileage checks all in one - $260!), foodshopping, and the liquor store for a 6-pack of Smuttynose Old Brown Dog for tomorrow. I talked to/left messages for the following on the phone about tomorrow's Music Fest: Kevin, Sarah, Keith, Erik and Jay.

I watched a lot of surfing later in the evening (up until 10 pm). Kelly Slater beat Mick Fanning at Cloud Break in Fiji. Then I cleaned the burners on the stove (good soaking, then rub-down). And last, but definitely not least, at 11:30 I worked out. It felt great.

July Interlude: Day 3

Not a lot going on today:

I did manage to shave my head, and read a trade paperback ("X-Men: Supernovas"), plus neaten things up a bit around the apartment. I ordered out for a double bacon cheeseburger deluxe for supper. Sabrino was obsessed with the mouse in the walls. And I added some music to my iPod Nano, including the remastered version of "Explorations" by Bill Evans Trio.

Oh yeah, and I did some drawing, and had a beer too:

9 Days - TWO

As you can see, I didn't post yesterday, but this is the recap:

For some reason I was up & out of bed at 7:30 am. I had cereal and coffee while I watched "Live Free or Die Hard" and later, I had last night's beef lo mein for lunch. I ran out to foodshop at 7:00 pm, and I ended the day with the season 3 finale of "Downton Abbey". A long and quiet day except for the gale force winds blowing outside!

Oh, and I drew this:

9 Days - ONE

I slept in until 9:30, had cereal for breakfast with my coffee, and then watched cartoons ("Green Lantern" and "Young Justice"). It snowed overnight, but just a light powder.

Then I drew for awhile, added several cds and songs to my iPod, had Chinese food and watched "Ghostbusters".

Around 6 pm I finally showered, and then I ran out to the comic shop. I made coffee and read for a couple of hours, and then drew some more. I also talked to Erik & Chris on the phone, and the latter is down for this year's WPMF!

I'm currently (10:00 pm) watching "The Mosquito Coast" on my computer with my Big Blue Live for the sound, and I just completed my drawing project, "Legionnaire Ken".

Alone