Any writer or cartoonist (which is mostly about the writing anyway) knows content is king. All the clever styles and gimmicks can’t save a lousy story, flat characters or stilted dialogue.
Yet, many of us spend a lot of energy searching for and trying new tools. Like that new putter will really help your golf game? Those who know me also know I’m a hopeless technophile and experimenter. I’m giddy these days with a smart phone and a tablet, so forgive me and understand that eventually this too will pass.
I’m using this pitiful digital journal as a proving ground for my new tools.
Posting a journal (OK, it’s a blog) requires four basic things:
1. Hosting services.
2. A blogging content management system (likeWordpress)
3. Words (mine) and
4. Graphics – pictures from my camera and my hand.
This posting was created and published using all new tools. You’ll see right away the content hasn’t improved, but I’m tickled because I can (let’s see if I do…) post more easily while on travel.
Below is a nice photo taken in Girona with my tablet. This text was Siried (dictated) and e-mailed and pasted into the new WordPress iOS app. The illustrations were created directly on the tablet with ArtStudio and ComicBook. I’m still learning and hope to smooth out the process as I go.
We’re the only critters that bother to measure time. Some of us live by it – good for watch makers, but not recommended as a lifestyle. Yet time is an exhaustible resource and worthy of spending well, and here you are reading this?
Before noting that this year’s time is up and wishing us all a healthy, happy and productive year ahead, pause with me for a moment to remember and reflect on the past year.
All over the world folks took to the streets facilitated by smart phones to protest and fight their oppression by others. Hope someone listens. Pay attention to the There’s more turmoil ahead but transparency, justice, and freedom should win in the end.
Nature has shown her power in earthquakes and severe weather. Respect her.
The US congress just cannot govern with the two extremes unwilling to compromise. Shame on them. We already have “term limits.” It’s called elections. Vote. Nation-building begins at home, not in Iraq (which has a better voter turnout than the USA.)
Technology marches on enabling a wonderful new world, but is also slowly erasing some nourishing parts of our human experience like a walk in the woods, sitting on the front porch telling stories, going fishing, or taking time to cook and enjoy a traditional family meal.
Another chapter in the book “Men Behaving Badly.” This really isn’t that complicated…
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Anthony Weiner
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Ryan Giggs
John Edwards
Chris Lee
Silvio Berlusconi
Herman Cain, and
Jerry Sandusky
We said goodbye to some wonderful people. Folks who entertained, illuminated or inspired me:
Bil Keane
Betty Ford
Lee Schipper
Steve Jobs
Chris Hitchens
Liz Taylor
Andy Rooney, and
Amy Winehouse
I must also thank:
SAM and my family
Jan op de Beeck and José Berge
Mary Lasher and Tom Sanders
Chris Sparks
Mary Parker
Kathy Williams and John Nazdin
Tom Richmond and the NCS
Xi Ding
Steve Hearn and the ISCA
Nelson Sartoris, and
Johanna Veerenhuis
all, for making this past year wonderful. Finally, here’s .
“Time” is often on my mind these days and these reflections help me understand how best to spend the time that remains. In a world choking on our own waste, awash in depression and still too violent, we need more kindness and smiles.
Recently, I had an encounter with an old good feeling. As we learn more about how our brains work, I’m sure someday we’ll map those synapses that store memories. Some are not far from our daily thoughts and others need to be nudged to come out. Music and food are powerful triggers for this.
I came home from a drawing event and SAM had made a “secret” meal. OK? It was chicken and dumplings. Flashback to my little boy self, on my grandparents farm and a huge pot on the kerosene stove. Chicken slow cooked in a warm stew of fresh garden vegetables and doughy things called dumplings. It was sooo good. Sitting at my Nana’s huge kitchen table loving all her attention and stories. This was a wonderful moment that my boy self didn’t appreciate at the time but my mind carefully wrapped in my hippocampus and put away for 65 years. Turns out SAM had had similar associations with grandmothers and dumplings. So, that was her surprise gift. A great meal of sweet memories.
It’s our turn to make some sweet memories for others. Food is always a good place to start but don’t expect any immediate dividends, this is a long-term investment. SAM is so very good to me. I’m a fortunate guy.
The drawing event at the University of Maryland was much fun , but we had to push the speed a bit which cut down the “getting acquainted” part of live caricature I enjoy.
Christmas and holiday cards are trending down. The average US household now receives 15-20 cards that I’ll bet are sent mostly by older folks. Looks like this form of communication, like writing in general, is fading away – to be replaced with: texting? tweeting? social networks? NET LOSS! And no, we’re not making it up with volume. Folks just don’t make the time anymore.
Just how many of my Facebook friends would actually pick me up at the airport at 2AM? Probably less than 300! It’s all so superficial.
Sending out over 60 secular analog cards each year and sending another hundred or so more electronically, I receive less than half that number, and I DON’T CARE. I feel great and love every one.
Lot’s of time I enjoy learning and participating in the “new” ways of doing stuff. Yet, there are a few customs for which my generation are just about the final practitioners. This will be one of them (along with dancing, singing and telling stories to each other.) It’s OK. It’s been fun. We’ll put the light out when we’re done.
About nine years ago something occurred to me that was unthinkable all my life – the USA and most of the western world had peaked and were beginning to decline. Our best days were behind us. The next generation (on average) would have it tougher, and be less successful than ours. My grandparents and parents would not understand this. What’s happened, and what can we do to change that outcome?
Throughout history empires rise, peak and decline. Since this also happens to many macro-organic systems, maybe we should just accept it and enjoy the party while it lasts. I have two wonderful sons and SAM’s daughter and husband are building a family. They deserve better. Plus, if you know how to solve a problem, and don’t, aren’t you an accomplice? If you don’t try, shame on you. My sons taught me that.
The roots of our decline are diverse, general, and have grown slowly: diminished family and community values, distracted parenting and low-priority education, women’s rights and children’s welfare, increased wealth disparity, loss of respect for our natural resources, and our own nutrition and health. Some, but not all, trends are irreversible – like putting the toothpaste back in the tube. Entropy just doesn’t work that way. I know most of the indicators are moving in the wrong direction, still…
I take hope that society can also move in better directions. Progress? , , and . Moving society to change requires: reliable information, an informed/educated/motivated society, leadership and responsible government officials. Oh well, as Friedman and Mandelbaum have written, “
There are no easy or quick answers. Will continued absolute and relative decline be the fate of our western societies? Sunset in the west and sunrise in the east?
Instead, it could be a new era for all of us. Ghandi said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” I can do that – maybe not perfectly and immediately – but if I can’t be an example of better behavior, how can I expect others to join?
*Frogs will cook in water that is slowly heated, but jump right out when put into a pot of boiling water. Mañana?
Thankfully I’m still learning. Once I’m past the discomfort of my gaps, there is a pleasant rush of filling them in and seeing new opportunities. Thought I knew everything I needed to know by the time I was thirty. This has been said many times. I didn’t even know what I didn’t know. That was, still is, will always be, a lot. But now, I’m relaxed and enjoying the process of discovery.
Often these days a class will really open my eyes. At UNCA’s Reuter Center this is always the case. Topics include the history of civilizations and super powers, the Middle East, China and even mask-making. All enrich my understanding of our world and my place in it. History especially has deepened my appreciation of our beautiful, frightful, and complex world. This is indeed an interesting time to be alive. SAM helped me get on this road.
Recently at Maryland Hall, I attended a workshop on sculpting the human figure. Underneath it all – without our skin and fat – we look remarkably alike, gender issues aside for the moment. My second sculpting course with Mr. Rick Casali (above in violet) was, again, very instructive for my 2D graphic efforts. Rick speaks of all the muscle groups and bones like a pre-med candidate. That vocabulary helps to understand valuable principles and to communicate the world that lies beneath and how it shapes our appearance.
The class also opened a new interest in going a little further with sculpture (or 3D.) One pal, Johanna will smile at that prospect. She does . I’ll have a few questions when we get together in a few weeks in St. Pete at the ISCA convention. She has a new book I can’t wait to see.
Dentists sculpt too. Recently my fine doc and his smart assistant spent quite a few hours fashioning a new dental structure for me to assure a proper fit. Not much fun, but much appreciated. OK boys and girls, take care of your choppers – brush, floss and regular checkups and cleaning. Get the picture?
As examples we can learn from, let me introduce a person I admire – . Over the past ten years, I’ve grown to appreciate his qualities as a leader, a father and husband, an artist, a businessman and a teacher. Now, add to that list “author.” Tom is probably best known for his comic illustrations in Mad magazine. He is a master caricaturist ( past president and Golden Nosey award) and now president of the – our first non-syndicated executive in history (I think.) He has taken his comic caricatures to a Habitat project in the 9th ward of New Orleans, to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and back home to their hospital bedsides in Washington. Over the years, I’ve met a few folks who are at the top of their profession but few, like Tom, that really get the fact that their success comes with obligations to their families, communities and to help those coming along on the same path.
Tom’s new book is about caricature art, but it’s also about anatomy, portraiture, making a living in the arts, and the importance of hard work. Sure this a plug, so here’s where you can find more info.
After a great visit with SAM’s daughter, spouse, and (ahem) beautiful granddaughter in Huntington Beach, CA, we spent the next two weeks driving around Arizona and New Mexico. It was a beautiful and fascinating trip. The high point was the Grand Canyon – certainly one of the natural wonders of our planet.
Words and pictures fail to describe or portray the feelings and thoughts that arise. Our 4 billion year geological history is normally buried below, but here we were able to see about 60 million years exposed. Our own existence and impact are like the fleeting shadows of a falcon’s wing. We are part of something larger and someday some of my molecules will join those rushing pass those gorgeous canyon walls. Big experience for me…
It got pretty hot: 115° in Scottsdale (112° with the wind chill as Bil Keane says) Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West was a beautiful model of how simple design and local materials were used to create an important architectural school in the desert. One of his former students served as a guide. Flagstaff was a nice stopover and chance to see my first astro-observatory. Sedona was described to me by my mother as the most beautiful spot on earth. I could feel her there. Then up to the Canyon and touring the south rim, our flyover in my first helicopter ride, and romantic dinners at El Tovar. Deer and elk up close at twilight and in the very early mornings. Back to Phoenix and hop over to Albuquerque.
Nearby, we visited the Acoma pueblo sometimes called sky city. We saw the petroglyths up in the lava rocks but missed the rattle snakes. Next up to Santa Fe, very different (in a good way) and full of high-end art, low-end jewelry and great grub. We spent two days unplugged in Chimayo at a charming B&B, snuggling up at 40°. Georgia O’Keeffe’s studio home was near and a real treat. Taos was another short drive, but not much new for us. Back to Albuquerque and then home to green and moist Asheville.
SAM planned and coordinated most of the trip. It was her 2nd time there. I’ll never be the same. Our discoveries: car rental taxes in Arizona are shamefully exploitive of visitors and not much better in New Mexico. We spent a lot of time above 6K ft altitude – huff, puff. The Rio Grande really is. Los Alamos is like a beautiful Oak Ridge, TN. The forest and mountains there are recovering nicely from the big fires in early summer – part of nature. We saw quite a few older biker gangs. Guys really wear big belt buckles and Bolos.
According to one guide, out west it’s okay to refer to the Native-Americans as Indians. From what I saw, either way, it was another Holocaust. Will we ever learn? Not if we’re not taught.
Still lost? Got 59 seconds? Bugs will explain…
My web comic (for mature adults) http://eldereasel.us
Recently SAM and I were part of a learning circle facilitated by our pal Dorothy. About a dozen seniors at UNCA talked about what was bothering them, strategies for dealing with some of those issues and shared some of the pleasures they find in this stage of life. This was one of those ah hah moments for me. I realized that I had arrived at a new stage in my life, one that was very different. Retirement was not a sort of well-deserved vacation but potentially an active, rewarding and productive phase of my life.
First, how amazingly fortunate I am. Beginning with wonderful parents who loved me and taught me well. I had a happy childhood and I now understand how crucial that can be. Sure, I worked hard and was frugal enough to enable a retirement and was moderate in my lifestyle so that I’m pretty healthy now. Then, luck came my way and an old friend reentered my life, bringing joy and meaning to my life. All this good fortune deserves serious investment.
So, I’m going to try to take that learning circle online. Using elder-topic cartoons as a flower, I hope to attract geezer bees to spread the pollen around. Good stories are a proven way to pass along wisdom. Likewise, Internet sites can provide instant (but sometimes unvetted) information. The new site is called . Hope you have time to take a peak and offer comments on the concept and the content. Suggestions for topics are also welcome.
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Geek footnote: I built this site with the WordPress/Comicpress content management system. To this techno-geezer, it’s like having a free 747 parked in your driveway to go for groceries. It’s an enjoyable work-in-progress.
By now you’ve either bought one, or you haven’t and likely won’t. For the few remaining ones who are still “thinking,” let me offer my thoughts on tablets.
The concept is mobile Internet access, not mobile computing. Real knowledge workers who use computers to create, analyze, and communicate new information will look beyond these devices for work. But, they will use tablets and smart phones for information access and entertainment. So, we have overlap.
I haven’t bought a smart phone, but have drooled over my sons’ appliances. They are part of the workforce, on the go, and need to stay plugged it in. To be honest, the idea of folks constantly checking their laps for messages during real conversations is a put off.
I did buy an iPad 2. I waited – with some difficulty – postponed pleasure and delayed gratification… I am delighted about what it does and enables me to do. It is my first Apple product, although I gotten their “philosophy” for a long time. Mr. Jobs is a genius as a designer of technology products and as a businessman. The iPod, iPhone and iPad, are today’s Gillette razors.
The tablet is quickly replacing net tops as entry level email laptops and Windows seems like such unnecessary baggage now for this platform. I can imagine a slightly smaller tablet eventually becoming a popular platform for print publications. But smart phones and cryptic communications will rule the world and erode language. The intersection of the Internet and mobile phone services is the interesting play and where the real money will be.
Apps and accessories are the razor blades. One nice thing – when there’s a problem with an App there is a whole community of people who are willing and able to help. This has happened twice for me. So, the mainframe and print pubs are dead. Smartphones have spread everywhere and we have entered the age of the tablet. You?
Continuing education is one of my life’s joys. Learning comes from many sources - from life’s simple observations to passionate practice. Ignorance runs its own gamut from embarrassing to dangerous. So, I take great pleasure from gradually filling in the valleys, ravines and potholes in my own understanding of the world – a vast and endless activity.
Coming to Asheville, I was drawn to UNCA’s College for Creative Retirement, sometimes called the Reuter Center (pictured above.) With over a thousand members, four semesters a year offering way over a hundred courses, seminars and groups. Topics ranging from Geology to Mah Jongg, Robots, Current Events and the movies of Roger Corman, and much more. More info at
Each semester that we are in Asheville we take 4-5 courses and I occasionally teach one as well. Sam and I love the people we have met there. They are fascinating, engaging and smart. The symbol of the school is a logarithmic spiral shell, the home of the Nautilus – the only living member of the subclass “Nautiloidea” which are considered living fossils. Well, at least we are still “living.”
A Ben Franklin quote that resonates for me, “involve me and I will learn” seems appropriate. Our classes are composed of mostly seasoned and expert instructors and students (called participants) that are knowledgeable and involved in the topics. Classes often consist of lively discussions. The center is wonderfully guided and administered. The facilities are impressively equipped — a beautiful and happy place to be.
NEW TOPIC: Sam says, “No one is interested in seeing your travel pictures.” If she is right (and that’s quite common) what will become of all those photos? As my son Will says, “indeed.”
Any writer or cartoonist (which is mostly about the writing anyway) knows content is king. All the clever styles and gimmicks can’t save a lousy story, flat characters or stilted dialogue.
