Ready for the coloring books!

Here's the current composition of Grover's Garage.


I am not quite done, minor details could still be added if I get any ideas. I know that I did not leave too much room for them, but leave a comment if you think of anything clever. As it turns out, these outline sketches are popular for coloring in settings such as youth group, or university meetings... also - I need help with the title. "Grover's Garage" is catchy enough, but maybe there is more that could be said.

I feel bad about not posting anything in the last week. I still need to upload a comment about a dream that I had a few weeks ago, but I think I need to make drawings for them.

Also, I have been busy with mid-term exams. Also, I spent much time developing the mechanism for the comprehensive exams of my graduate students. I am satisfied with that, so I had time to get this drawing together. Whoops, I think I just broke a rule that I never knew that I made about blogging about why I haven't blogged... That is, I've never thought about this before, but now that I think about it, I realize that it is one of those dumb things that *I* don't want to do. I mean, I don't want to say that I can't write about what's kept me busy. But it should be obvious from that context whether this activity has kept me from... oh, never mind.

I had the opportunity to pet a guinea pig on Thursday. I like them, it made a funny sound.

--gh

'G' is for garbage

As promised, here is the second work in my "Blue Collar Muppets" series. Due largely to the bricks, this took over 40 hours in the last month or so to complete.


I am not sure how many will be in this series. In order to call it a "series," though, it must have at least two or three more. But I have more ideas than that. Right now, this is what I have in mind: ***updated***

Kermit as a barber

Grover as auto mechanic

Oscar as highway worker, or bulldozer operator (with Slimey the Worm)

Telly as farmer

The Two-Headed Monster as factory line worker

Bert and Ernie in food services
I did not go for the obvious with The Count as hairdresser (because he is the gayest muppet). I don't like that particular stereotype, mostly because I have the best barber in the world. Kermit will be my homage to him.

I think I will stay with the Sesame Street muppets, rather than the late-seventies show muppets, like Gonzo or Animal. (They are still called muppets even when it is Sesame Street, right?)

I am still soliciting ideas for small details, or anything major that I have left out. Is Big Bird a muppet? I am guessing not.

--gh

'flatulent' footwear

Thanks to fark for supplying this story, in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Basically, the shoes make flanky sounds. (Yeah, that was my childhood version of the 'F' word. Still can't say that word.)

Anyhow, the sad thing is that there are people in this world without shoes, but this company is forced (economically) to toss out 35,000 shoes -- just because they make flanky sounds when you walk.

Sad. I could use a pair of flanky shoes.

--gh

Mr. Clean is getting married...

This morning I was reading about the proposed Procter & Gamble merger, and it made me think about Mr. Clean making use of his new Gillette shaving gear (and batteries, of course). I think I had a whole joke lined up about it, but I couldn't remember it. I think it had something to do with his image always showing his arms crossed. (He never does the work.) So, I thought I'd do a quick e-painting to collect this image...


I think I had more to say, but I nearly completed it and then ArtRage crashed and I realized I saved nothing. For some reason, I sat down this evening and spent an hour re-painting it.

If you are curious about how "Sanitation Monster" is coming along, you should know that I am working on the masonry right now.


There are hundreds of bricks in this image. The bricks on the right have already been smoothed for the back ground, and I am working on the ones on the left. I know if looks weird to spend 4 hours drawing bricks, and then smooth them out and blur them. Remember, though, this is the background, and I need to do this... besides, it will make the windows pop out more. You can see some of my technique here to the left of the window. I draw the mortar first, then the bricks (and then I smooth them over with a glazing palette knife, electronically, of course).

I need help with the title. How would you title a picture of the Cookie Monster doing sanitation work?

--gh

Valentine's Day

Today's image is brought to you by the ACME Heart Maker. Make your own for Valentine's Day.


Okay, so I have another rant-peeve about the next upcoming holiday. On that day, I will probably hear about 20 people (guys, mostly) talking about how it is a made-up holiday from the cut-flower, gift-card, and candy companies. I think they say the exact same thing to 20 different people all day, and there is nothing that I detest more than repeated comments ad nauseum...

Okay, we get it. I don't really care for it myself, and it probably won't surprise you that I am not a candy/cut-flower/VD-card kind of guy. But honestly, this battle is so lost and those compaints are so played...

Just get over it and stuff. You lost, deal with it. Buy the card.

Mardi Gras!

Okay, I'm not one to post pet peeves, but I have to get this off of my mind. Today is Mardi Gras, an interesting celebration predominantly found in historically Catholic communities. I get it, and I don't mind that it's turned into St. Patrick's Day on steroids.

What I am tired of is this: It is called Mardi Gras. I know that this roughly transliterates to fat Tuesday, and I think everyone should know this. Teach this to your children, etc. However, once you understand this, STOP CALLING IT "FAT TUESDAY"!!! The web is full of blog posts today calling today Fat Tuesday, somehow trying to get us to respect the cultural knowledge of the author. The news this morning (well, CNN and FoxNews) has smiling faces reminding us what Mardi Gras means in English... If we don't watch out, five years from now Fat Tuesday will be an acceptable title. NO!

I was in New Orleans two years ago during Mardi Gras. Wow. The streets smelled like the best food, and the worst garbage. I saw hineys, hoo-hoos, and ha-has. (Language.) I ate Crawfish Étouffée at five different restaurants, each one unique and totally awesome (well, except for what was served on a riverboat cruise we took to the battlefield, we skipped that meal to eat another one in the French Quarter.)

Despite my dislike for "renaming" Mardi Gras, I don't mind it when people call the Quarter "Vieux Carre." Not that I do this, but it does seem to separate those who've been there or not. (Is who've a proper contraction?)

One of the interesting things that I learned that week was the local pronunciation of "New Orleans." The police, the mayor, and the newscaster's pronounce it: New Or-Lee-uhns (4 syllables). This happens to be the way *I* have always pronounced it. I will NEVER stand for someone correcting me on that pronunciation again. If you are a Cajun, you have the right to say "Na-Awl-linz,"(only 2 syllables) but that is not how the city folk pronounce it. And I am a big fan of pronouncing a city like the locals. (I can pronounce Norfolk the Nebraska way and the Virginia way.)

"Laissez les Bon Temp Roulez!"

--gh

I can smell in my dreams.

Okay, so I had a dream where I could smell stuff. This happens to me every once in a while. Usually it is associated with strong smells. Oddly enough, whenever I dreamt about humpin' trash (which was EVERY NIGHT when I had that job, unfortunately), I could not smell my work.

Speaking of trash, don't feel like I've been neglecting my artistic duties. Yeah, I've been busy with teaching and stuff, but... well, click on the Digital Refrigerator to see how my current sketch is coming along. Comment any good ideas to incorporate into this, it definitely is not too late, I have only just finished with what I call the "major composition" of this work. I want to put a cookie in there somewhere. Maybe the shop will advertise them or something...

Of course, the final work will be posted here, but the Fridge can hold all of the works in progress.

--gh

Blue Collar Muppets

One of the things that I like to do before commencing a new drawing is to seek inspiration from images, with much help from the google image search feature. As you may be aware, I am beginning my next composition, which will be the cookie monster and a garbage truck. I came across this web page during my research period, called: Iowa Accident Investigation Report Roster. I guess I'd like you to consider that I am not mocking the working trades, but trying to honor them, but in my way.

One of the reasons that I wanted to draw an image in the refuse industry is because I spent 5 months of my life hugging the back of a garbage truck. My first driver was a huge guy named Elwood, who was injured in my third week. I went to work with Jim Moodey after that, and learned that the job could be enjoyable. But Cookie Monster fits Elwood's physical characteristics best. (I want to point out that I am not going the obvious with Oscar the Grouch in this industry. I haven't picked out his job yet, but I wanted to avoid the cliché.)



Before I took this job, I held over twenty others. All but a handful were based in work that would be designated blue collar (plumbing, insulation, carpentry, drywall, roofing, concrete -- everything in construction but electrical, actually). However, I knew better than to ever try to align my situation with that of the hard-working American. I was always college-bound, and knew that I would never have to work a trade to bring in my income. So, I am fairly handy around the house (but am horrible with electronic appliances, or engines).

Last summer, I wrote about my high school experiences, complete with my transcript. (Hint: I sucked!) I compiled a list of my employment history once, and plan on using that for blogging fodder sometime this year. I had a job for only one day once, but it is amazing that I could write paragraphs about what I did that day!

--gh

Busy on some other stuff, so...

Try to play HIGH WHEELS only once! (Yeah, the game play and the music is addictive.)

--gh

Monetary Policy, G-Had style!

I watch news regularly enough, especially financial news. The issue of the falling U.S. dollar hasn't really been on the radar of most Americans, in my opinion. In fact, clever economists like to brag about how a falling dollar is advantageous in the short run, because it erodes our foreign debt. How clever, yet China has already hinted that they weren't going to buy as many dollars as anticipated. Indonesia and Russia have already turned bearish on the dollar. (Would you keep buying something that gets cheaper each month?) In fact, many countries may refrain from pegging their currency to the greenback in the next few years.

What should we do? First, listen to Alan Greenspan (diminish the deficit), reform our currency-reserve, and make it attractive for more countries to buy Treasury bonds. (Thanks, Japan, you rule!)

Earlier this month I read in The Economist about using Frequent-Flyer miles as the new international standard. Apparently, there are $14 trillion of these "miles" out there:

"It has been superseded not by the euro, nor 

by the yen or yuan, but by another increasingly 

popular global currency: frequent-flyer miles. 

Calculations by The Economist suggest that 

the total stock of unredeemed frequent-flyer miles 

is now worth more than all the dollar bills in 

circulation around the globe."

(In terminal decline?, Jan 6th 2005, From: The Economist, print edition)

This is not the first time that The Economist has brought up the use of these miles. In fact, the point is raised about every six months or so! Part of me thinks they are just joking (those cheeky brits!) but maybe there is a point to this notion...

In fact, I even have a better proposal: I think we should peg the rate of our own currency to the amount of unspent coins in our own circulation. First, we have all of those funny quarters (Indiana's is the best!) and now we have a goofy nickel. This inspires weird people to "collect" them, and not spend them. However, there is another part of our economy that we should buy more shares of: those "Give a Penny, Take a Penny" jars in convenience stores! By my own calculations, there are at least $16 trillion of these pennies out there, and no one ever uses them. (Do they? I don't.) I think I will write to Mr. Greenspan about my monetary plan.

--gh