Just Kidding?

After almost 40 years, my dearest friend SAM, has arrived at that stage of life called retirement. Those who know this remarkable lady, realize how inadequate the “retired” label will be for her. SAM is so engaged in our world - a voracious reader, patron of the theater, exhibit openings, historical sites, tea rooms and occasional bars, she winds down with crosswords and sudoku puzzles.

Over her long professional career, she worked tirelessly and touched thousands of young lives and those of her colleagues, in a system that can be painfully inefficient and frustrating. She was never discouraged, nor did she let her high standards bend. She put education and the kids first. Her work made a difference in this world.

During all that, she was a devoted and enthusiastic mom and community leader. Her example will be her legacy with her successful and charming daughter. Family has always come first for SAM, and that includes an extended family of close lifelong friends. She never forgets a birthday.

Her passions for history, travel and art can now move to the top of her agenda.

At her retirement party, after many tearful tributes, a bunch of colored balloons were released. As they rose into the sky, one broke free. This was a fitting symbol. She can now soar, travel and inspire us all, as we look up to her example. I’m in awe of this grand lady, mother and teacher.

Its been 5 days since we met. This character is still with me, and he’s not even real!

Sorry SAM, you’ll understand when you meet him.

First, a little perspective. My emotional depth can be best summed up by how I dealt with depression back in the day. I would go to a Muppets movie and sit in the middle of an audience of 4-to-8-year olds laughing hysterically for 90 minutes. Total lift.

If you prefer high energy gratuitous violence, this may not be your movie. WALL-E borrows from ET, Star Wars, Finding Nemo, 2001, Toy Story and Short Circuit, but is not derivative. It merely stands on their impressive shoulders.

It is a bit dark. Earth doesn’t look too good 700 years from now. An Inconvenient Truth on fast forward. We made such a mess, all the humans have fled and devolved into Big Gulp blobs that can’t walk and languish on a Cunard Cruise space ship. Link to trailer.

Back on Earth our delightful trash compacting automaton labors on. He (yes, robots have gender) has evolved into a curious, but lonely contraption whose only companion is an impervious super cockroach. We follow him for about a half hour in a delightful no-dialog exploration of his world. Enter the G-rated love interest, EVE, a sleek coquette iMac-like reconnaissance robot. They quickly become an “item.” An hour of outer-space high-pace adventures follow. Pay attention to the the thick layer of trash still in orbit around our fair planet.

This Pixar production is hardly cartoony. Its amazingly realistic and yet fantastic. WALL-E director, writer Andrew Stanton should take yet another, deeper, bow. The accompanying short feature “Presto” has a more traditional cartoon look.

Back in Montford I drew the son of one of the Nine Mile chefs, Jenny. He was more excited about the movie Kung Fu Panda, and I had no WALL-E action figures to show him - hint, hint. Hey, now I do. Thanks, stimulus check! Money goes to China?

Hero and pal KAL is traveling in Azerbaijan, giving speeches and keeping a journal. Read all about it.

Finally, there was another meeting of the WNC branch of the SEC of the NCS at Frank’s Roman Pizza. Huh?

Shown, left to right are Clay, Brian, Mike, Brandi, Karin, Doodle, Kaysha, Steve, Michael, Phil, and Greg.

Most humor has a short shelf life. Watching Rowen and Martin’s Laugh-In from back in the ’60s is fun but not really funny anymore. Nice to see Goldie Hawn and Arte Johnson again though.

This past weekend one timeless comic, George Carlin passed. This clown in the finest sense of the word helped us laugh and think. He was one of my favorites. Most remember him for his seven words but he had a lot more to say about our society’s foolishness.

Last week+ was spent in Maryland and DC. Had a great Fathers’ Day dinner with my sons and time with SAM. One of her long time friends, the family pictured below, came to an anniversary dinner. We also had nice visits to Annapolis, the portrait Gallery for the Herblock retrospective and we caught the Puppini Sisters and Montford’s own Mad Tea Party at the Birchmere, thanks SAM.

Driving up and down, I listened to Joseph Ellis’ book “His Excellency, George Washington,” a fascinating biography. This one man flawed yet uniquely suited to put our unsteady, experiment in nation building on the right course - our true founding father. If only we had abolished slavery and granted the native Americans their lands and culture. Alas.

One can only wonder what he would think of our country now? Armed militias and the 2nd amendment, our Department of Defense, Mount Vernon, and iPhones.

June’s first week brought an interesting collection of events, experiences, insights and lessons. As Kurt Vonnegut’s uncle Alex would say - appreciating the happy times in our lives - “If this isn’t nice, what is?”

A politically historic week (observations.) The long hard fought Democrat primary marathon ended with more of a sigh than a bang. Two great candidates with very similar policies, but different packaging and tone. Now, will McCain be able to raise enough money and still reveal his “independent” streak? We live in a center-conservative country that may finally be disgusted with the neo-cons and fundamentalist hijack of the Republican party. We are capable of progressive spurts, but still amazingly isolated and arrogant. I hope we can become a “super example” instead of a “super power.” I choose optimism.

Mountain cartoonists (meeting.) Asheville is located in the vast Southeast Chapter of the NCS (link). I was invited to the monthly pizza gathering to meet local WNC members and associates. Lots of enthusiasm and talent.

Nine Mile owners, right . Nate and Aaron (at the neighborhood linguine spot I frequent) were willing to hang my pic while awaiting a bronze sculpture I told them was in the works. Shhhh.

Johnny Bunko (by Daniel Pink.) Favorite NYT bestseller author of A Whole New Mind and Free Agent Nation has adopted a manga format for a career guidance book. In Japan this popular graphic format is used for all sorts of books. Is it a recognition of the compressed attention spans of our offspring? Graphic novels, now graphic non-fiction. I like the six lessons wrapped in a story that may be read by my sons. Link to book trailer.

Brown’s gas (really?) Hydrogen and Oxygen (HHO) gas mixture produced by electrolysis will burn in an internal combustion auto engine. Water-gas hybrid? Cold fusion redux. Watch this space.

Wii Fit (really!) Oh yes. This thing really works and the style/voice of the “game” is so inviting and the exercises easy and challenging. Sorry, grownups only.

Adirondack chairs (DIY) 32 pieces of cypress wood in a box, oodles of 1.5″ screws and terse instructions. Three hours later, nice porch chairs stained and polyurethaned, ready for friends. Have a seat.

Kelly Waghorn (master caricaturist.) Discovered this long-time editorial caricaturist/illustrator from Vancouver, BC whose work I really admire. More than just his inking style, his portraits take a very fresh look at familiar faces. See a collection of his work? (link)

Rene Magritte (master surrealist.) I’ve only seen a few of his originals, but reproductions are everywhere for inspiration. The 20th century Belgian artist really took painting in a new direction and, except for Dali, was one of the first painters that made you think and smile at the same time. Much of NYer’s Bob Mankoff’s great book “The Naked Cartoonist” rests on his principles.

Summer movies (Indiana Jones and SATC.) Not serious, but fun. Harrison Ford (my age) did it well, but Kate Blanchard was best. Very aggressive ants instead of snakes this time. The four New York City ladies? are back with the same stuff ten years later. The shoes and fashion looks were lost on me and I’ve never had their luck in getting a cab so quickly. Coming soon to an iPhone 3G near you.

Just a little way down Montford Ave, there’s a new restaurant that I’ve mentioned before - Nine Mile, No, I’m not getting any free meals, but the lunch prices are very reasonable. Nate and Aaron, along with June and Leigh opened the place a couple of weeks ago and looks like the word is spreading. Thursday’s seafood special (mussels, scallops and veggies on linguine was so good.

Just about every day I take a stroll in my neighborhood. Normally I look at the houses, wave to the people, and just make the dogs bark. Lately, I’m beginning to notice the plants, as many are in bloom now, like I was 40 years ago. So, with apologies to my photographer friends, here are some images from my walk today. I know, some will say I’m going soft. Perhaps it’s true.

Local plants, animal and minerals…

I don’t know all the names, honeysuckle reminds me of SAM, but poison ivy and I are not friends, Rover (not her real name) was a bit piqued.

I used to love to swing on a rope or vine. The feral cats are always happy for a pet, then slowly back home.

NEW SUBJECT! Back in the day, I used to dream about attending the annual TED Conferences out in California. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design - three wide-ranging subject areas that are, collectively, shaping our future. Every year, 1300 of the world’s leading thinkers and doers gather together for four days of networking, education and exposure to new ideas.  Drool.

Now, we can all view all the 20 minute lectures (TED link.) Two that I can’t forget are by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor (about left lobe egos) and Dr. Ray Kurtzweil about the exponential pace of change and nano technology possibilities for blood cells and solar energy. Other fascinating and entertaining lectures are there by Al Gore, David Pogue, Amy Tan, Mark Pittman and many others.

..as Tina Turner says.

The Reuben awards are the annual recognition of the best cartoonists and the best of cartooning. Mort Gerberg observed that cartooning is in decline. That’s mostly because newspapers are fading away. People everywhere love our graphic gags. Maybe we need to move to cell phones. Many of the all time greats were here and a lot of folks who are less well known but nevertheless talented and passionate about the cartoon arts. The field is evolving in many directions - animation, advertising, greeting cards, Internet, book illustration, and so on.

Mike Mikula, above (Roll Call and more) is one of my pals, heroes. So good to visit again with him and Sarah and hear about their family - two boys - and life in Atlanta.

The Ruben Awards is a formal affair, but totally wacky and fun. This year there were about 300 attendees.

At table #22 we passed around my sketch book for contributions.

One of my all time favorites, Richard Thompson (below with the Kodak) rode the train down from Washington DC as a nominee for his feature, Cul de Sac. He’s a very talented guy, who used to be a neighbor in Arlington, VA.

Mike Peters, this year’s MC, is a genuinely happy positive person. Creator of Mother Goose and Grimm, he also does political cartoons and caricature, and he uses a lot of India ink. A fine choice. Below, right is Mike, mugging with moi.

Many of the “old timers,” from the golden era in the 40s and 50s were there, thankfully. Roy Doty, Frank Springer, Bill Wilson, and of course, Mel Lazarus. Below left are Bunny Hoest and Jack Davis.

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In N’awlins for the 62nd Reubens a day early. About 120 of us had signed up for a day as “Voluntourists” as the Habitat folks called us, to lend a hand with some of their projects in the post-Katrina St. Bernard neighborhood. Two buses were waiting for us at 7am at our hotel on Canal street for the 35 minute drive past endless abandoned single family homes and gutted strip malls. Camp Hope (Habitat HQ) is where organizations from all over the world (except FEMA) come and are briefed and assigned to their 50 or so projects. NCSers: Jeff Bacon, Ron and Max Evry, Ed Black, Jeff and Melinda Keane, Mike Peters, Hillary Price, Tom and Anna Richmond, Brian Walker and many many more joined in this day to shingle and put up siding. Hammers, nails, and one-liners - being a part of something larger - cartoonists working cooperatively. An unforgettable day. The Reuben weekend post will follow above…

Five of us worked as a “siding unit” and did so well we were dubbed the “Alpha” Team. Later, at the hotel, after showers we reunited at the opening reception. Below are (left to right) Don Peoples, Elaine Bernside, Bill Schorr, Aileen Heimlich and moi. Also a view of our house. We completed the roof and finished about 3/4ths of the siding.

The story here is the quiet stream of volunteers that are coming to help rebuild this unique city. This is a truly American response. We all were depressed by the devastated neighborhoods, the quickly painted “X”s with grim #s and the likelihood that it will happen again. Still, many residents are returning and rebuilding.

What was a major surprise, returning to the hotel we filed off our bus through a gauntlet of applause and thanks from hotel staff and NCSers. It wasn’t needed. We all felt very thankful already. This experience, and the Habitat organization will not be forgotten.

For more great coverage of this event see Tom Richmond’s posting (link here.) BTW, Tom won the Advertising and Illustration category award this year. Steve Silver, another NCNer, won for TV Animation.  Bill Schorr (one of the Alpha team) won for editorial cartoons!

Yes! A beautiful spring day, yesterday. Right along Montford Avenue, less than a mile northwest of Prichard Park, our shady residential neighborhood came to life with bluegrass, jazz, English clogging, Chinese dragons, paintings, dancing, activism, crafts, great food, flowers, and yes, caricature.

There were dogs, large and small (I saw no cats,) tattoos, beards and pony tails, strollers, skate boards, babies, beautiful ladies and happy retirees.

A wonderful day in Asheville, NC.

Next day, I visited the just opened Nine Mile Restaraunt on 233 Montford Ave. George and Nate were very welcoming. The food, a Caribbean-Jamaican-pasta with great spices (yummy) and beverages - local beers on tap and a large selection of bottled brews - and nice wines, add up to a welcome addition to our neighborhood. Check it out!

( Always sketching faces. This one from Business Week…)

Spring has come to Asheville and we’re green again. Not in the eco-sense, although here there is much attention and effort on that behalf. The leaves are back on the trees and the mountains a beautiful blue green. Even one of my opposing digits has acquired that hue, OMG.

One of the nice features of this month is the opportunity to honor our moms. There are 365 other days as well, but you know how busy we all are. I was fortunate to have a smart, warm and supportive mother. She had a long and productive life. Dorothy is with me every day. There are of course many great moms who deserve a hand (literally) for all they do and are.

One of them, Hillary Clinton, was here as part of the hard fought NC primary. For many Democrats this is a very very tough choice, very close, for different reasons. In the end, I feel Hillary has the best chance of defeating McCain, which turned out to be my most heavily weighted criterion. If Barack Obama wins the nomination, I will be proud to support him for President.

Soon it will be time to visit barber Jack and prepare for the Reubens gathering, this year in New Orleans. “Just a trim, Jack.” Will my tux still fit?

At this annual gathering of the National Cartoonists Society, our members recognize the best among us in 15 categories and overall - for works produced largely in the past year. (NCS Reubens link) It is a grand affair with a formal dinner and hilarious awards presentation. Each year we attend seminars and smaller social activities generously hosted by some of the syndicates. This year many of us have also signed up for a day with Habitat for Humanity and some local work there in the city. Cartoon illustrator and caricaturist Tom Richmond from Mad Magazine and also a leader in the NCN has done a great program cover illustration - AGAIN!

On the other side of the world, (Dumagueta in the Philippines) a great family is celebrating the 80th birthday of an amazing man, Alexander Amor. I would love to be there. Mr. Amor is still a practicing attorney and quite vigorous. When I was on my RTW, he and family members living nearby took wonderful care of me and taught me about this natural paradise and the some of the history and culture of the Philippine people. One of his sons made his way to the USA and remains a good friend, despite his humanitarian impulses.

I’m not really fond of many landscapes, less so of most still life pictures. This week it was my turn to do a real landscape, my front yard. In the end, I’m lucky if there’s still life in me.

None of this would have been possible without Timothy, a business student from Queens University. He did all the heavy lifting for three days, did a great job, and then went off to umpire Little League games in the evenings. He’s now working a summer job at the Grove Park Inn, one of WNC’s premier spots. Thanks Timothy!

The idea was a low/no maintenance design, but I’ve planted some shrubs and spices. It better rain when I travel. Outdoor plants are OK.

As my reward, Iron Man came to town. (trailer link) I went to a Saturday morning showing with 14 other men and boys (OK, we are all boys.) The main character, alter ego, Tony Stark is a smart ass industrialist. Inside his metal suit he’s a smart ass flying Robo-Cop. This movie definitely should be seen on a big screen or, if you’re a gentle, nurturing, intelligent women, not at all. Yes, yes, there’s a lot of gratuitous violence, pyrotechnics, and some questionable science, but there’s also criticism of the military weapons industry, a fresh start for Robert Downey Jr. and a potential new source of sustainable energy.

I left the theater with a smile.

Slaughterhouse Five, Breakfast of Champions and Cat’s Cradle. I’m on a Kurt Vonnegut binge. I’m enjoying his stream-of-consciousness, dream-like fantasies and style of telling his wacky and poignant stories; thinking-out-loud narrative about writing, and then writing that; bizarre characters that are one millimeter from real, fun and provoking too; and, vocabulary like “pissant and ice-nine, and so on…

I’m a student again. Not really fond of college classes back in the day and muddling through as a chemistry major and smoking Pall Malls “In Hoc Signo Vinces” just like Kurt. He was part of my father’s “greatest generation.”

Now, I’m happy to be in school again, at ABT (Community college) and UNCA. Lifelong learning makes more sense than just cramming it all into those hormone-high, shaky, awakening years. My sons will enjoy this.

“Abstracting the figure” Time to loosen up? Emily, the instructor is a very energetic and pigment passionate artist, soon to move to New York City. She brought in models that were pals, spirited and who worked hard. Good class.

“American Art” Architecture, painting, furniture, and sculpture from 1620-1865. Ben narrates with great enthusiasm a slide show of 35mm slides with a Kodak Carousel projector- whoa!. So much of our history is embedded in our art. VanDerLyn painting to the right was shocking at the time. Thanks Ben.

“Tai Chi?” No, this is not slo-mo Tae Kwon Do. Looks easy but it’s like animated Yoga with a self-defense core. I’m struggling to remember the choreography. The trick, of course is to practice daily.

“The Progressive Era” With a retired professor sparkplug. What a trip! (so sixties, sorry.) TR, Taft, and Woodrow Wilson, but what an era just a century ago. Our country was in crisis and revolution and yet optimistic. Mary, the instructor enlists class members to channel characters of the time ala Chautauqua-esque presentations. Mine, of Chicago Columnist Peter Finley Dunne, of course had to be illustrated with a cartoon. What a great class! BTW she agrees that the arc of the USA empire peaked around 1950.

Once or twice a week, there’s figure drawing sessions at the Fine Art League of the Carolinas. Very classic and facilitator, Gully, does a great job of presenting professional models. The sessions are attended by really terrific artists. Sometimes Brian and I go out for an apres-nude beverage and sketch bar patrons fully clothed.

Mid April, I had a wonderful visits with my sons and SAM. Pal Kathy did a poetry reading, and a beautiful day at the National Arboretum. Next, I’ve got Tim, a local student, to help take care of my pitiful front yard.

If you got a hiccup at this site recently. I was a little over zealous in a cleanup and, thanks to Robert at Dreamhost, he got this puppy back online.

Part 1

This morning, I awoke to an odd noise, downstairs – little clicks and a high pitched “yeeeeh, yech, yeeeeh…” Something, an animal was in my house. I went downstairs and turned on all the lights. I looked under the couch and chairs, under the bed in the guest room, behind the big reading chair in the library. The door to the lower level was shut so, I didn’t go down there. Nothing. My imagination?

I returned upstairs for my morning ritual of shower, shave, vitamins and a good teeth brushing. Still, my mind was on my intruder, where was it hiding?

I returned downstairs, made my pot of French Roast, fixed a bowl of mueslix with a sliced banana and turned on my laptop for the news and mail. In Asheville, I’d decided to pass on a daily newspaper, but I do miss it sometimes. My attention drifted.

Then, I heard a little shuffle and saw a quick shadow. I really did have a visitor. Now, to action! CAPTURE & CONTAIN! That was my objective. I’ll need to be a little creative here. How about a stick (a bamboo shaft) and my fish net? Yeah, that should work. The cardboard container box for my Wii system should do for a container, temporarily. In less than a minute I had collected my capture tools.

It was there in my food room, my bistro – a combination kitchen and dining room where I spend time reading, working on my laptop and eating - under my tea cart of all places, looking out. At first, all I saw were the two shiny black eyes. Then I could see the long face and round ears. A weasel? A young martin? I remembered from my trapping days as a youth, there are few animals as fearless and aggressive as a weasel, vicious in fact. In an instant he ran past the hand net when I poked it from behind – so fast. But there was nowhere to go or hide. I cornered it in front of my pots cabinet and got the hand net over most of his nine inch body. Adrenaline, whoa. I could see a long tail which was whipping nervously. Its body was dark with a white chest, it looked more frightened than mad.

I knew it could bite, so I kept my hands out of range. The hand net was deep enough so it couldn’t jump out as I flipped it over into the Wii box. The top flaps closed and I put a heavy pot on top. Done. It was making a lot of noise inside, but it was contained.

I plopped down in my bentwood rocker to collect myself. That was exciting, even fun, but now what?

(my story continues, click here)

Key West is about 180 miles SW of Miami, last stop in the Florida Keys and a community very far away from mainstream USA. The Conchs (local residents) live in a progressive, tropical garden surrounded by green water, purple coral reefs and blue skies - far from my Blue Ridge mountains and SAM’s Chesapeake Bay.

SAM and I stayed with George and John and cats Paloma and Cumquot. Uncle George, profiled here earlier, is an old friend from college days and a hero. We had a great visit, seeing the sights at Hemingway’s house, Sloppy Joes, The Truman White House, KW Museum of Art and History, Fort Zach Beach, the Red Barn Theater, the Butterfly thingy, Sunset at Mallory Square (almost) and a Cuban breakfast with Nancy 3. And, great dinners and conversations as always..

These were perfect hosts and a beautiful home in the old city. Sigh…

Still thawing out and waiting for Spring? Next winter, schedule a visit here.

A good friend told me recently that “men are afraid to fight!” Well, that makes it difficult to explain war. It’s true, a lot of folks of both sexes do avoid conflict. They are passive and impotent and actually make things worse. There are sometimes reasons to fight, and also good reasons to “be very active without harm.” Anger is not an excuse for violence, but properly focused, anger can be a powerful “change” maker - a fire in the brain.

To be sure, there’s a lot in our world today to be very angry about. I’d like us to get to a place where we’re very smart instead of shock-n-awe violent.

To me, this resonates with some of the messages in Tom Friedman’s outstanding book, Longitudes and Attitudes. He writes about 9-11’s underlying causes and our reactions - anger, violence, and understanding?

We have a long way to go - back - to make our commitment to our country, to understand our history and that our strength comes from our diversity, our democracy, and our freedom, not from flag lapel pins. We’re slipping. We have to become a good and peaceful world citizen, an example, not just the most powerful.

Hello? The guy on the right, Tolle - SAM and I are reading his books as part of the Oprah’s read-along mentioned in the prior post. I’m keeping an open mind. I just thought he had an interesting face.

No. I don’t have an “attitude,” but I was disappointed. Oprah does a lot of real good for this world and has never been timid about technology. Last night it looked like a bandwidth choke or some bad technology planning. I hope they can fix it and the 10 week seminar on Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth can go forward. She’s had great success in using the Internet to deliver content (er, messages) and create/and extend her audience - including moi. This morning, I’m glad I’m not her geek.

Having recently/finally seen the concluding episode of the Soprano’s, there was the same empty feeling that seems to come from great anticipation that suddenly just evaporates. BTW, Mr. Chase you made the right choice artistically, (and economically I’ll bet.)

There was interesting comment right away on Ken Molay’s blog (Webinar Wire.) I’m sure there’ll be lots of opinions and advice flooding Harpo today. As a technology shill, I must admit a lot of what goes on between our keyboards and the cloud and back is still wet - not ready for prime time and normal folks. Hang in there, and when it doesn’t work - read a book or take a walk, or as Dr. Oz says “Sleep naked.”

UPDATE: Around Noon today, she/they issued an explanation and promise to fix. Classy. (LINK)

Sometime in the last ten years, the ease and openness of communication surpassed the quality of content. For all history, many of our problems could have been solved by faster or more transparent communications. Now, we’ve apparently traded one problem for another: a blizzard of casual thinking wrapped in digital multi-media formats, unoriginal pulp available A3 (anywhere, anytime, anyway.) And yes, this Journal may well be an prime example, but I’ll try to keep this brief and amusing.

I’ve recently finished a book about John Adams and the early history of our nation and some of his contemporaries like Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson. All, including Abigail Adams, were consummate letter writers, avid readers and book collectors. Their letters were carefully conceived, calmly, painstakingly crafted and delivered slowly. They were read, re-read and saved. Their words had weight. Imagine Thomas Jefferson with a Blackberry. “WHTT2BSE (We hold these truths to be self-evident), AMCR8= (all men are created equal.)

Maybe this complaint resurfaces with the adoption of each new generation of communications technology. Maybe I’m just getting old and cranky ~:-(. Nah… 404 and BFD!

BTW for my readers over 14, an IM and SMS lexicon awaits you eager iiii’s. Peace out.

* Ya know, like universal, everywhere.

The last thing Microsoft needs is for me to be their shill.

As technology marches along, some things actually get easier - for example, web authoring. In the past, I prospered from the reality that most information technology was arcane, expensive and unreliable - not ready for prime time. You needed geeks like moi to make it happen, and to explain why when it didn’t. It’s little wonder that most regular folks fear/hate technology.

Apple and Google got the message a while back, but Bill Gates’ empire always played to the “engineers” and nerds. Now, with the hoards of hungry technophobes at the Gates’ (nyuck,) Microsoft is offering a morsel - a new service for the growing market of small/independent businesses - a low cost way to market their products or services up on the Internet - Office Live Small Business . See Dave Pogue’s piece in the Times. I never miss his postings - funny and useful.

I tried it. Yeah, it’s a little quirky, and geeks will say it’s underpowered and generic, but it does the job. You can put up your own web site and easily manage its content for $15 a year. That’s it. Good job Microsoft!

BTW, this won’t be the last of this type offering in the growing data-center-centric world. MS will make their money with the add ons and hopefully buy Yahoo. Kevin McLaughlin at CMP Channel has a brief review.

See my new Live Office website?
Go to blueridgecartoons.com

Back on my right side of my brain, my instructor at ABT is pushing me beyond my uptight black and white renderings, and two nights a week I can practice classical figure drawing at the impressive Fine Arts League of the Carolinas. These sessions were recommended by pal Brian who also attends.

Last night was a lovely dinner with buddies Gerhild and Maggie and Joe (and Coco.) The sauerbraten and spaetzle were delicious - it had us all dancing and barking.

Sometimes called the “armpit of the year,” this short month actually had a lot going on. Normally, I prefer to spend this time in a warmer climate, but that will have to wait a bit this year.

Up in Washington, I saw one of my erstwhile sports heroes testifying before congress. I was not convinced.

Both sons are doing well and one had just returned from a business trip to Ireland. It took me 61 years to get there. My Irish sketches and thoughts link. The world continues to shrink.

Working on a cartoon character development job gave me a chance to have a drink with a very smart old friend from AIR/ESSI days, back when we were working on behalf of the Dept. of Education.

SAM and I had a great time together around Annapolis, the Berryman exhibit at the National Archives and a new show at the Phillips; the newly opened Hampton House near Towson, the Walters Collection and dinner in Little Italy in Baltimore; a happy birthday gathering with friends in Chinatown on a snowy evening organized by SAM, the Annapolis Watercolor Club and a Valentines dinner in Eastport; Brunch with son Will; Barefoot in the Park at White Marsh, and an evening with Toby I-love-this-bar Kieth in Baltimore; a beautiful walk at Quiet Waters the following day followed by dinner with son Chon. Then, back to Asheville.

Still trying to stay literate alongside voracious reader SAM… With Hemingway (thinking about Key West and Uncle George) by Arnold Samuelson; a compendium of Will Eisner’s Life in Pictures; Terry McMillan’s The Interruption of Everything; and the extrodinary John Adams by David McCullough, and some great cartoon collections including one by favorite Patrick McDonnell and editorial illustrations of our president and some of his OMG quotes.

Finally, we saw “There will be Blood” with the amazing Daniel Day Lewis, an epic I recommend. The Lion King is coming to the Kennedy Center. We went online to reserve tickets. I’ll be very happy when they arrive.

Back in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains, I’ve switched my WRI GEEK plates on my PT to something a little more appropriate for my new goal of creating smiles.

So, thanks to my sons, SAM, and friends, this February was a lot of fun. The idea of a trip to where it’s warm is still a good concept - something to look forward to in January and afterwards, March - here come the first hints of Spring.

What I should do is find a way to better appreciate winter, when life is rebooted. I have taken some walks lately in the woods and there is a calm beauty in the cold bare branches and listening to the wind.

One of the big draws (groan) in this town is the art community. I’m beginning to get acquainted. I’m taking a course in figure painting at a local community college with a high energy instructor.

She’s asked us to think about and describe our objectives. I’ve decided to do that in a larger sense - beyond the “er, just draw better and use some new stuff.”

I’ve never envisioned a goal of being a painter, but if I did, who indeed would I like to emulate in terms of style and content., After reading more about the personal lives of some well known artists, I’ve decided to leave that category to the novelists.

Portraiture (big word) is my chosen subject. The human face has all the drama and challenge I need for now. I admire the works Sargent (depicted here,) Rembrandt, Picasso and Eakins, but there are many others I’m still learning to appreciate. Then there’s Sebastian Kruger, Jan Op De Beeck and Kage Nakanishi (familiar to my caricaturist cronies) who all set the concept of abstract satirical portrait illustration to the highest bar.

Caricaturists almost always do celebrities. You need a portfolio and since most of our work is sold immediately or we’re left with rejects (Joe Bluhm can get away with this, but not me.)

The problem with celebrities is that everyone does them and you’re in danger of drawing someone else’s drawing, even unconscientiously. Danger, danger, but one face I love is Sylvester Stallone. He’s a cartoon of himself anyway, but cool.

The new (last? PLEASE!) Rambo movie is out. As one critic observed, Stallone looks like an overcooked Ball Park hot dog. Still at 61, he’s pretty spry. His little rigged outboard motor on his river boat was powerful enough to tow the entire cast of water skiers at Water World.

The last Rocky movie a couple of years ago was maybe the best of the series, although I missed Burgess Meredith. Rambo 6 has no redeeming value. Even the gratuitous violence in “300″ was sort of arty, but in this Rambo it’s just disgusting. Boo Sylvester. Making the oppressive regime in Myanmar the villains and saving the good Christian missionaries doesn’t save this dog.

Picasso was one of the greatest artists and minds of the 20th century. His  paintings and sculpture are accessible, emotional, revolutionary, but for some uncomfortable. Yes, I changed the subject.

His personal life was also a lot more interesting than Elvis or Britney, all of which make him an interesting subject.

BTW, satirical illustrations of famous artists are allowed under Article 6, Section 2.6 of the International Code of Caricature.

So spare me the “I’m shocked, and so disappointed..”

At 7:50AM, it was cold but getting lighter in Asheville, NC, my new home. Overdue for a winter haircut, I was here on the recommendation of a friend. Two cars were already ahead of me waiting for Jack Bell’s Barber Shop to open. Five minutes later the CLOSED sign flipped to OPEN and an old thin man and his little dog climbed out of their truck and started slowly walking across the lot. Dragging his leash, the little pup bounded over for a pet, a quick sniff and a happy lick.

Inside Jack’s was warm and bright. A forty-ish regular with short hair and a shorter goatee was in progress and talking with Jack about basketball and what he should do with the aging large screen TV console positioned on the wall opposite Jack’s single chair.

“I just might give it away – find it a new home.”

“Don’t do that Jack.”

Hair, the cutting, styling, fussing over, and alas, the thinning of, has become an unpleasant reminder of my journey into maturity - wisdom dues? All my life I wanted to be Elvis, or at least have his big thick hair. Each haircut was when I resigned myself to my default appearance, big ears and nothing special. Fortunately, the growing clearing on my crown was still hard to see from my full face mirror shot each morning.

I suspected this morning would be a flash back to those dreaded biweekly trips to my small town neighborhood barber for a “boys regular” fifty years ago. Requests like “Put a big DA in back, and let those sideburns grow” didn’t fly. He’d tell my parents. Now that same frustrated feeling was back. Ridiculous. I’m all grown up now, forgodsakes!

The old man and his dog were now sitting in the corner, he sipping some of the free coffee, and his pup fastened and asleep. I assumed they were here more for a visit and not for a cut.

Too soon it was my turn. I didn’t say much, “Just a trim…”

For the past forty years, I’ve gone more or less monthly for a “style” that would take a half an hour. Before that in the Air Force, it was simple, by the book, five minutes and awful. Before that in college, it was the best my roommate could do when he had time. I like hair, long hair. I feared “Just a trim” meant a “boy’s regular” to Jack. He was a few years older with short full white hair. Jack has been cutting hair a long time. He didn’t say much, but his technique brought back memories. Was I enjoying this? Was it nostalgia? When I saw the length of the definitely-not-a-trim clippings falling on my apron, I knew Jack knew best. Oh boy…

Jack worked mostly with electric shears, then he switched to scissors, and finally hot foam and a straight razor that he first strapped a dozen strokes. That felt so good. What’s going on? This all feels pleasantly comfortable. I thought back to those anxious adolescent moments, and the later phony sessions at hair salons, “Would you like an espresso?” This was simple genuine hair cut. What was I thinking?

I paid Jack eight dollars and a tip. No blow dry, no mousse, no itchy hair down my back, just a fresh honest feeling. The puppy was on his feet wagging his tail anticipating my farewell pet. “OK, boy.”

I gave Jack a big smile and said, “See you next time.” In my mind and on my scalp, I’ve come home.