On This Day:
Wednesday January 30, 2008

This is the 30th day of the year, with 336 days remaining in 2008.

Fact of the Day: jazz and blues

Jazz is a musical form, often improvisational, developed by African-Americans and influenced by both European harmonic structure and African rhythmic complexity. It also is often characterized by its use of blues and speech intonations. Blues denotes a secular folk music of African-Americans. It has origins in the Mississippi Delta in the early 20th century. As a musical style the blues are characterized by expressive pitch inflections (blue notes), a three-line textual stanza of the form AAB, and a 12-measure form. Typically the first two and a half measures of each line are devoted to singing, the last measure and a half consisting of an instrumental “break” that repeats, answers, or complements the vocal line. Blues and jazz are closely related; such seminal jazzmen as Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong employed blues elements in their music.

I’m still digging on my Vision M player. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack from “The Wire”–you watched it yet???–and there’s some cool blue stuff on it. I’m surprised too at how much dialogue samples from the show turn up. It’s cool. Can’t help but feel the chill up the spine when you hear Omar whistle of “A Hunting We Will Go”. You best be watchin’ your back. Anyway, it’s kinda fun when Rene’ and I get together. We talk about music like we’re back in high school! She’s got me listening to FlyLeaf, 30 seconds to…something. All good.

Time is tough but Barry and I negotiated a schedule. Wednesdays (for the most part) will be strictly our family day. We’ve had to make a schedule of who will be were working where, what times that person will be leaving to make it home, pencil in personal time, etc. It’s been tough not seeing each other for more then a couple minutes a day–literally. I’ve been invited to work for an art company which would give me more time with the family but there’s still things I’m working out. It’s a scary, exciting time. I’ll get to draw and work at my leisure (ha! Like I know what that is!). So today both Barry and I shoved it all away, took the kids, loaded up the Chloe-mobile and we got out for air.

Today we went for a nature walk with the kids. We went to just a local park called Lake Louisa (which is HUGE, btw). I certainly don’t fancy myself a city girl, but take away buildings, people, strip away the background noises–cars, lawn mowers, dogs barking, and put me outside, I kinda get mighty nervous.

That all aside the woods were beautiful. Huge live oak trees that must have seen a lot of stuff. I love live oaks. These had Spanish Moss hanging down from them. The area we ventured to was more swamp then forest. Huge Cedar trees. Quite a Thoreau-ian moment. Everyone needs to read more Thoreau.

We bought the kids Taco Bell (Barry and I ate ham and cheese–we are recommitted to Low-carbing again. More later). Chloe ate hers up–Fox didn’t really care although HE’S the one who wanted it! Molly took a couple of 3 bites.

It felt good to be with the family all together. Really good. It felt good to be going something active and I think the kids all enjoyed being exposed to something they’d not really seen before. They played in the sand and we walked quite a bit. I took lots of photos. We must have stayed there 3-4 hours if not more. Then we went shopping a couple places. Then home we came–to find out drains all backed up! Barry’s got this sewer drain opener thingie poured down the drain and we can’t flush for 7-8 hours. Thankfully we’re doing it while we mostly sleep.

This weeks Toon Weekly theme was ZOMBIES!!! Does it get any better then that?? I couldda done a bazillion designs but I went simple…family.

The color is pretty much exact–I didn’t desaturate it at all. I finally got some pretty good reds. Reds and blacks are hard to paint and harder to scan.

Chloe wanted to do a Zombie as well. She did a Daddy Zombie. I love it!! I got her singing The Cranberries “Zombie” as well.

I’m finished the flats of Wombless!! Woohoooo! Join me in a brief happy dance!

Happy thoughts.

Yes, we really do have Homer Simpson shoes…