New Floors
This is a completely personal post. I had new hardwood floors installed this past weekend, covering my entire upstairs and the stairwell. It was expensive, but my house looks fantastic. Oddly, walking into an office with a cherry hardwood floor (even if it is laminate cherry) just feels right. It also feels exhausting. I didn’t install any of it, but I had to prepare: moving 4 bookcases […]
Snap
I just bit into a green bean, picked fresh from the box out back. I am 10 years old. I’m shucking corn on the tiny deck outside my parents’ kitchen. Errant strands of corn silk float lazily through the air to hang on the azalea bushes below. Inside, we have chicken cordon bleu with big, yellow ears of corn and green beans. Slabs of butter slide, kernel by kernel, down the corn […]
Professional Asperger’s
I’ve worked with quite a few folks who exhibit what I’ll call Professional Asperger’s. See if this sounds familiar: You stop by their office to ask a question. They look up with their lips pursed, give you a one-word answer, then return their attention to their computer. Consistently. In a meeting, a co-worker admits to making a mistake. This person literally boggles, and with a clipped tone reprimands […]
Artists Wanted
What’s the best way to manage an artist? I have a few top-secret projects going on right now, and they need artists. And by that I mean people who draw people and creatures. Here’s my process for finding and working with an artist: Browse art sites. I use DeviantArt mostly, because it’s so big and includes such a wide array of artists. Send a basic proposal. There’s a delicate balancing act here. I strive to intrigue the artist, while […]
Amish Friendship Bread
Ten days ago, a co-worker was kind enough to drop off a bag of starter for some Amish friendship bread. The starter is a light-beige mush that has to be squeezed every day, and fed with extra ingredients (milk, flour, and sugar), until the tenth day. On the tenth day, one creates four more bags’ worth of starter and bakes two loaves of cinnamon bread with the rest. As I’m sure you’ve figured […]
Astro Boy Made Modern
I want to talk about craziness for a moment. In Japan, there’s a manga creator named Naoki Urasawa. He’s known for his complex, intricate stories that are aimed at adults. His most famous is 20th Century Boys, a modern thriller about a middle-aged man who learns that one of his childhood friends now runs a murderous cult. A few years ago, Naoki Urasawa contacted the son of Osamu Tezuka, Japanese […]
Why Who?
Decided to relax last night and watch a few episodes of classic Doctor Who. (Yes, yes, the new Doctor Who is great. Thank you.) Why should I watch classic Doctor Who? It’s cheesy, over-acted, and low-budget. Watching classic Doctor Who is like reading second-tier science fiction. It may not blow your mind, but it’ll have a few memorable moments, a nice monologue, and an interesting premise […]
Pics and Punchlines
Just stumbled across a stunningly different photo blog — the photographer works in Japan, taking photos of everyday people and situations on the street. The color’s always unexpected, and the subjects atypical. Warning: Some of these photos show naked dolls, so if you don’t want to see doll breasts and butts, don’t click below: Pics and Punchlines A sample:
A covering, a shield, a container
Last night, I met with a couple of old and new friends to talk about Craig Thompson’s Blankets. Blankets is a 500-page graphic novel that helped to establish the American graphic novel scene. It’s a memoir of the artist’s childhood and teen years, centering on his childhood relationship with his kid brother and his teen relationship with a girl. Disconnection and relationship form the book’s two major themes, which is fitting, considering […]
Spark Some Debate in your Book Club
My friend Nick graciously invited me to a short-lived book club: two sessions, this coming week, discussing Craig Thompson’s graphic novel Blankets. Brilliant idea: debate one book, and we’re done. We can convene again if it goes well. Minimal pressure. I decided I wanted some ammunition besides my memories and my hand-written notes, so I just went online to find some awesome, inspiring, deep book club questions. […]