Here’s a little game I created - feel free to play it on your computer or print it out for a loved one. It’s based on those circle-things-in-picture games for kids. This version, though no more advanced, is better. This is a fact.

Well, it is subjective I guess. Some people don’t like things that are fun. Anyway, click the thumbnail on the left to view the game. Enjoy!

part one - the downside

I started using Linux as my primary operating system about two months ago, installing Ubuntu in a dual boot configuration with Windows XP. I had actually set that up several months before when I was still toying with the idea of switching, wanting first to test the waters a bit. There came a time, though, when I decided to make the switch. I had started booting into Linux during the day while my wife was at work, and I honestly felt much more creative and much more productive during that time. Part of this was probably the novelty of it. A totally free operating system with open software and plenty of things to configure (actually, everything to configure). But mostly, it was the freedom of it, I think.

I’ll start with the three things I still “need” Windows for (and these glitches apply mainly to my own present setup and could be overcome if I didn’t already have Windows installed), in other words, the downside: (more…)

Some paintings are sprints, some are marathons. I’ve been facing this issue head-on for the past few months now. In the past, the majority of my paintings have been landscapes, with pet portraits coming in at the number two spot. And these type paintings, combined with my painting style — throwing down paint, haphazardly, and then changing it until it’s finished — usually make for a quick and satisfactory painting process. A sprint. Not much room for second guessing, complaining, complicated emotions, or feelings of utter despair and resentment. You know: quick and clean. That’s a sprint.

But commissioned portraits, that’s another story for me. Here you have a person asking for a faithful, albeit artful, reproduction of [usually] a loved one — a son or daughter, a husband or wife — someone important to the person. That’s a lot to consider when addressing the canvas [does one address a canvas?]. These commissioned portraits — as opposed to portraits I’ve painted just for the fun and practice of it, which are themselves usually sprints — more often than not become long drawn-out affairs. What’s worse: many times I find myself three-fourths of the way into the painting process staring at a stiff, lifeless figure with a stilted smile and eyes too stern to be looked upon with affection. Disaster. That’s about the time I put the painting away for a weekend and work on something else. I tell myself it’s a marathon painting. I’ve seen this before, and I’ll see it again. A marathon, not a sprint.

I know I’m not a portrait painter, and that’s part of it. I have not devoted all my time to perfecting the human form on canvas; the nuanced facial features and lifelike realism achieved by such artists can be a stunning thing indeed. I’m no slouch, of course: I can and do eventually get to a point of satisfaction in a commissioned portrait — and some don’t actually stretch that far into the realm of marathon. Those that do, however, give me pause; make me take a step back and readjust my perception of the thing. This is a marathon, now. Not a sprint. I guess that’s just the way things are [is it just me? I don't know] at any rate, I’ve learned not to see this as a lack of motivation or creativity on my part [which I have, wrongly, thought in the past] but as a perception issue. Could it be that there is a link between perception and motivation? Could be . . .

Anyway, that’s what has been on my mind lately. Do you have anything to add? If so, leave a comment [comments can be quite motivating for me].

File this one under “and the wife just shakes her head . . . again.”

One of my favorite things to eat is cereal. It’s a natural breakfast food; it works great as a snack [in milk or even dry]; and if I’m fortunate enough to have extra space in my stomach by the end of the day, it’s a great midnight snack. My favorite cereals are generally low in sugar - as a kid I’d douse my Cornflakes with sugar but now I find that Cornflakes and other cereals are actually sweet enough on their own.

For some reason, several years ago, I started mixing my cereal. It all started with Raisin Bran: not liking the overabundance of raisins, I mixed my own Bran Flakes with my own raisins and Voila! But since then it’s escalated. My wife laughs when she sees me making multiple trips from the pantry to the counter top to the fridge, carrying armloads of cereal boxes, raisins, peanuts, milk, oats, etc. This morning for instance, it took me three trips to gather all my ingredients [three more return trips after their use].

Ingredient list:
Honey Nut Cheerios
Bran Flakes
Corn Flakes
Nutty Nuggets [Grape Nut's off-brand]
unsalted peanuts
raisins
milk
[and a black coffee chaser]

You may be wondering [as does the wife] “Why mix your cereals?” To that I can only respond, “Because I can. [crunch, crunch, crunch]”

By the way, I usually end up premixing my cereal, storing it in large [empty] pickle jars for easy, one-trip goodness. If you have a favorite cereal or a golden combination of cereals, leave a comment and let us know about it!