The Night Shift

The Big problem with working nights isn't so much the total reversal of my sleep schedule while I'm working. What really bugs me is when I get a few days off and try to live in the day time like normal ,non-vampiric types, and I can't seem to sleep more than several hours at a time .
It is 7:44 a.m. and I'm wide awake ( let's see this when I have to work a day shift eh?) and yet at some point before the sun sets I'm guaranteed to be fighting consciousness.
Anyhoo, the pre-holiday busyness from my job is dying down and I'm full bore here at Santa's workshop ,making toys for all the good little girls and boys.
Blessed Be
Russell Vaughan

Guess What?

Sad

Chris Whitley 1960-2005 ,one of my favorite artists.
i feel like i've lost a friend.

work and Work

So I'm adjusting to the night shift and trying to make use of the time I have to create and study.
While I've been using this forum to post WIP , I figured I'd post a finished version of the last sketch , mostly 'cause I don't think I'll get the website done before X-mas.
Meanwhile, back at the Batcave, I've gotta put together some lunch and stuff so I can go and paint a Gap store in midtown.

Thanks

Happy whatever.A good day here in the city if a bit cold. I went and bought a pair of long johns yesterday. Had some turkey,gouda, hummus ,olives and such for my little mini-feast and then went to see some friends(Bill's). All in all Ihave quite a bit to be thankful for .And now I think I'll show my grattitud by doing some work.

My day (dry, minimalist version)

10:33 ish. Rolled over and talked myself outta the human/blanket burrito I was inhabiting.
Read the news and want ads, drank coffee and had many Camels.Talked to Mom and made calls looking for work, sent e-mails doing same. Stared sketch for future painting, ate turkey sandwich.
Refined drawing, ate a bowl of raisin bran. Went to a (good) meeting, then to fed-ex to pick up package from aforementioned mother.Came back home, further developed drawing, ate large plate of spaghetti . Sitting in front of laptop smoking (yet) another Camel, think I'll go get a glass of soda and...

Oh and by the way..........

Did you know that you can click on the pictures to see a larger version?
You did?
Well damn, wish some one woulda told me.

Mass-A-Chew-Sets

So, getting laid off from my job (timing is everything) and having nothing better to do I packed my bag and headed off to Salem, MA to see my buddy John O.

Ever wonder where the expression "Colder than a witches bosom" came from?

It was good to spend some time w/ John as I haven't seen him in 4 years more or less.
Salem was pleasant to visit but I couldnt live there.Although they do have a great liquor store


and plenty of opportunities for gainful employment

Mass. transportation....

And so Tuesday we went to Boston (Bah-Stin), to the Old North Church were the lanterns were hung to signal Paul Revere on his historical ride.




I also saw Revere's gravesite at the Granary Burial Ground.


And lastly, some shots from the Holocaust Memorial

A vacation from Vacation

So, the party's over and Chris left this A.M. Thankgod!
No, but really we both had a grand time and the last 3 days the weather was perfect .I ended up with one more day off today and spent it keeping my mattress firmly in place.
Yesterday was halloween and Chris' er, uh 29th birthday......and if you find that beleivable I've got a special deal for you......
.
Real cheap.
But before we hiked the Brooklyn Bridge (nice segue huh?) we took a stroll through Central Park

and after the bridge we rode the Staten Island Ferry

O.K. so i just HAD to work that joke at least once

and then we were off to Greenwich Village for the annual Halloween parade
SPOOKY, eh kids?

as for the pictures from that , well, it was over three hours and i snapped at least 200 so you'll just have to wait

Stuff we been doin'

So, Friday we went to the Empire State Building

and the Met, below ,
adding a little gusto to Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware"
and generally walked around yesterday in SOHO
and there abouts. Ate huge Kosher corned beef sandwiches ate 2nd Ave.Deli and went to Madison Square Garden to see Audioslave.

Pictures from previous post

D.L.

So, we went to a taping of David Letterman but no cameras allowed in the studio.Pooh pooh!
Really a bummer since his guest was Bruce Willis and the musical guest was CARLOS SANTANA!
Big props to Chris for scoring the V.I.P. tix ,we had exellent seats.
General touristing in Chelsea, an excellent Italian meal and coffee in the Village capped off a fun day .
Can't seem to post pics at this time so I'll do that later...........
Meantime , off to the Empire State Building..............

Re-Touristing

So my good friend Chris P. flew in last night from Houston, Texas. So with 5 days off and no $ I'm gonna be a gawker in the Big City. This afternoon we're going to the Ed Sullivan Theater to see a taping of The Late Show with David Letterman.
Also ,I started a new position with the painting co. I work for. I do several things including driving all over Manhattan which ,given my previous experience I took to very quickly. It's not as bad as one might think ,just incredibly slow and stupifying at times.
Mo' later........

This just in

Houston leads Chicago 4-2 in the bottom of the 6th.
GO 'STROS!!!!

Tuesday Afternoon

So back to work today,Crosstown to the east side {yes that east side, Park Ave.) Hey, some one's gotta have that kinda of money cause I never will, and if I did I'd choose to live in Soho. A beautiful day for a cup of coffee on a bench in Central Park, which is exactly how I spent some post job time.
Tomorrow I need to take my girlfriend to work w/me ,that being my Canon eos 350 D.
And now , some chill grooves some paint, and maybe a Boca Burger.

Sun Shine

So Annie was right , the sun did come out . After 7 straight days of rain. Needless to say every one in the city was out on the streets including yours truly. Did a bit of meandering and window shopping and then I finally hooked up with Bill's Friends. I even went to a dance. I feel much better after some fellowship and fresh (as it can get in Manhattan) air.
Tomorrow eve, I plan to go to a club in the east village to dig on some lounge and chill grooves w/ a new friend.
For now , a shower and some paint.

Just Enough For the.....

7:30 Mon Evening



Later that same Evening




Needless to say I was exausted the next day, but i woke up in Manhattan and made the 30 min. commute very happily.And i only got on the wrong train once on the way home.

Leaving Patchogue

So I got up later than I would've liked.My new place is on the 5th floor and yesterday I moved an entire carload of boxes and stuff up all 5 flights. Fortunately I do not have too much left.I saved a bunch of info last night , wi-fi spots, libraries, meetings etc. Now i just have to drink some more coffee ,one last time here on the porch, and get my ass in gear .
More as soon as i can...............

Phase 2

So, my new address is 473 W. 159th st.
Such as it is. Its not much but it is a place to lay my hat.(apologies for the Temptations reference)And more to the point I will be living in NYC.As well (and most important) I will have space to paint.
Unfortunately I will not have internet access but i'm sure i'll make do.
Also ,that will not be my mailing address. I know it all sounds weird but whats a boy to do?
I will make periodic updates and check my e-mail as often as possible and will post pics soon.
Meanwhile..................some of my latest studies.
.

Hunting for a place to stay

So , spear in hand,and car packed i'm off to NYC to an apt. broker to find a place to live for a while. Hopefully I'll be reconnected with internet service before long so I may be out of pocket via the information super highway for a bit. Naturally i'm a little nervous and it is exceptionally weird to go off w / much of my belongings packed up w/ no where to go as yet.
The Experiment continues........

Quick post

Still alive , spent almost 2 hrs traveling 100 blocks today 'cause the city was a cluster#%@& this after noon what with the new "terrorist plots".Who knows?
Any hoo, hopefully I made my last work commute today . I'll post more in the next two days as news develops.Mean wile ,back at the Batcave.........


I call this one "Robert"

Stuff

O.K. so its been a little while . The last week or so has been kinda weird and ever so slightly chaotic at times. I will not go into all of the details ( sighs of relief) but one thing has been the job I've been working on the western end of Long Island. It has been frustrating, and I have to drive there which means that while i get up a little later in the a.m. , I actually have to be somewhat conscious in order to brave the ungodly massive amouts of traffic .
On the other hand tonight i went to the city to see Paul Weller play at the Roseland. For those of you who don't know, he was the lead singer of the Jam
a long, long time ago. He also fronted The Style Council, but for the last 15 years he's consistantly put out some of the best albums as a solo artist. He and his band rocked and I have to say I haven't seen a show that good in a really long time.

Head cold

But my head is actually kind of warm.
Beautiful day, 72 degrees , nice breeze, blue skies.
Andre Agassi is playing in the U.S. Open finals today.
Life is good.

Labor day

so no labor today.none yesterday either.almost like a dream. still in Long Island after two months, yes Jose, it's ONLY been two months. The movers show up the 28th and Jose will be starting his return to memphis. I'm praying I can find a place to live by then .
Finding a shared apt. in the city is like dating, a job interview and pro wrestling all rolled up into one frustrating little package.
I didnt see the T.V. untill friday. I'd seen headlines in papers on the train all week but hadn't really grasped the extent of the devastation on the coast. Thank god for small favors. I had water and a roof over my head , and here i was getting bent outta shape over the commute I've been making.
I got nothing.

Sunday

A long week. The 13 hrs. a day took their toll the other night and i blew up over absolutely nothing .The next mourning I spent most of the time getting to work by reminding my self that there is a reason i'm here .The frustrations of trying to find a place to live in the city, the lack of time to do so or anything else for that matter add one minor pet peeve and POW.
Yesterday on the other hand was much better.Got to sleep till 6 a.m., and after work I met up with Tim B.'s cousin Joey.It was good to hang out w/ another Friend of Bill's and just walk around soho. Took a few pictures , which I haven't had time for in a few weeks, went to a couple of galleries ,coffee and all that.
Anyhoo...
a few things (in no particular order) i like about New York City
1.Coffee regular
2.The little Korean delis with cold bars
3.architecture
4.people selling stuff on the streets

Still, a pain inna...

So week two ,the work has gotten better and the commute still sucks but i've adapted like the good little aquarian i am. K.b. has backed out so i have to find a roommate but nothing is being done this week any way. -$. The weather is amazing and i really wish i had more time to myself to enjoy it but alas , one must do what must be done.

But the commute is a pain in the .......

So for lunch yesterday I had a turkey , hummus and cheese sandwich on honey wheat bread. I ate said sandwhich on the street in front of 538 Broadway Ave in SOHO.
Let me tell ya', I've worked in some pretty nice homes , but this place is SWANK.
I am sore. I am tired as all hell. 1 1/2 hr on the train and then 15 min at least on the subway.
Gotta get a place asap.

Hi Ho

Hi Ho . It's off to work I go.

O.K......Now where was I?

So, 2 re-installations of windows later,as well as installing an assload of other software twice.
I guess I'll be calling to follow up on the job I interviewed for last week. It's "just" a painting gig (yes ,painting of the houses) but it is high end ,and it's gainful employment.
Good to have a job.
I of course said "I'm not going to NYC to paint houses" but I can make a fair amount more doing this than I can in any graphic design job.
So, this is why I came here.........

And this is what I've been up to as well.....


and one with all the little Ants marching

Harddrive Crash!!!!!!!!!

OH. MY. GOD.
I'm not sure how many pictures I lost ,probably not too many since I"m anal about backing up that stuff.
But man , What A Pain in the ass. "oh woe, woe, woe is me" eh?

Coffee on the porch

Ahhh, it has been a long week, hotter than July and a lot going on.
I had an interview with a contractor tuesday, it seemed to go well and i should hopefully know something next week .The show thursday night wasn't so much a bust as it was just under populated. The audio/visual guy had a lot of technical difficulty with my slide show and even though i was the first artist featured, people lost interest the 3rd time they tried to show it.
Oh well.
On the up side ,no experience is a failure if you learn anything from it and i did meet some interesting folk.
Anyway, it's pretty nice out here today and i'm going to go drag out the easel .
Blessed Be

Busy

Working on a show 4 thursday night and doin some painting
Meanwhile...............here's a painting by Frederic Edwin Church
"The Heart Of the Andes" (1859)

Liberty

We spent some time downtown this week. Went to see some of Bill's friends , ate lots of Mafei's pizza (in midtown) and went to Battery Park.
This statue was in the plaza of the world trade center.
I just can't bring my self to take pictures at ground zero.
There isn't much to see and quite honestly I get pretty emotional when I'm there.








Then, we got on the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty










The whole time on the island I was singing "America the Beautiful" and "The Star Spangled Banner" (in my head).
Seriously.

A few days....

......ago, we went to the beach.

Just Pics (4 now)

Montauk

So today we journeyed to the Eastermost tip of Long Island.
Montauk is home to New York's oldest lighthouse.
It was commissioned by George Washington.


It took for ever to get there because of the traffic flowing into the Hamptons this time of year.
It was pretty foggy but we had a good time nonetheless....

The Village of Patchogue

So I'm staying with my friend Jose and his soon to be adopted son Jonathan in the town of Patchogue (pronounced pach' hog) in Long Island,New York.
It's quiet and pretty and guess what?????
There was a parade

A whole bunch of firemen from different towns were marching down Rt 112 this afternoon.

Begins

Begins….

Charleston, West Virginia 4:08 a.m.

13 hrs on the road and ½ way there.

Kentucky was wet and some times scary.

Damn, they need to consolidate their road construction.

No pictures yet.

r

07/13/05

2:08 a.m.Thursday July 14, 2005

Arrived safely. Driving in NYC is quite an experience.

Still feel like I’m moving.

Scared.

Excited.

Tired.

Manhattan

07/15/05

Museum of Modern Art,

Jackson Pollock makes me well up. Never has been my favorite, but something in the motion and energy of those big paintings…….

I saw “Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dali

It is very small.