GJ Willis' Art Notes

Looks like I accidentally missed my first show of the season at Center Stage. I will have to reschedule later in the month to see the play I missed. I believe the play I missed was Lady Windemere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde. Oscar Wilde is among my all time favorite playwrights so I feel bad about missing it.

Basically, I spent the morning clothes shopping and forgot all about the play. I shopped for clothes this morning to get my mind off of my up coming doctor’s appointment on Monday. Every time I go there it seems I get the same depressing news, that my tumor has increased in size. So to feel better I go out and buy a new set of clothes.

I went to Westview mall where I got clothes from Value City and Ross. I arrived at around 10am and left out at around 12pm. I feel neither happy nor sad.

OUTFIT OF THE DAYToday, I’m wearing a white short sleeved shirt with a black Moroccan/African design around the collar and sleeves. I’m wearing it with black pants and black canvas tennis shoes.

This morning I got my almost regular #20 bus. It was driven by the stern looking woman. I had to ask how much the bus fare was. I had to do this because I forgot to pick up my bus pass yesterday at work. Bus fare is 1.60, a day pass is 3.60. I had no idea it was that expensive to take the MTA! I’ll pick up my pass today.

Presidential DebateLast night I watched the Presidential debate. After watching it I feel that John Kerry clearly won. He was well prepared and I hate to say this he looked more Presidential. He was taller, wore a bright red tie, had a larger American flag pin, and did not slouch like George Bush did.

Bush’s whole message seemed to be, vote for me or we all die or if you don’t vote for me then the terrorists win. Throughout the entire evening he kept constantly pushing doom and gloom.

In the end with Bush you feel fearful about the future with Kerry you feel more hopeful that maybe things can be turned around.

CD’s OF THE WEEKThis week I got a new cd off of eBay. OK, it’s not entirely new it’s a dB’s cd called Stands For Decibels. As you may or may not know the dB’s came out during the 80’s. Their classic line up consisted of Peter Holsapple, (vocals,guitar, and keyboard)Chris Stamey(vocals,guitar, and keyboard), Gene Holder(bass), and Will Rigby(drums). I’ve always been interested in owning one of their cd’s. So finally one of my life time goals has been realized.

Also this week I got a new 90’s Modern Rock cd from Time Life. This one is really cool, it has Pure by the one hit wonders, The Lightning Seeds, Crush Story by Too Much Joy, The Only One I Know by Charlatans UK who have long since changed their name to The Charlatans. Overall, I really liked this cd because it consists of a lot of the stuff I was listening to when I was in school. An odd thing about the cd I have is that it isn’t listed on the Time/Life website... Anyway, on with the list in no particular order....

Bobby Darin-The Bobby Darin Story

The Raveonettes-Chain Gain of Love

The db’s-Stands For Decibels

Joy Division-Unknown Pleasures

Dean Martin-The Essential Dean Martin

Time/Life Modern Rock-The Early 90’s

OUTFIT OF THE DAYToday, I’m wearing a white t-shirt with a sailor motif. The shirt has a big anchor on it, blue and white stripes at the top and solid blue at the the bottom. I’m wearing my ‘sailor’ shirt with blue jeans and scruffy Payless tennis shoes.

This morning I just missed catching the #20. I saw it drive down the street. I caught the #1 instead which was right behind it. The #1 was driven again by the heavy set woman with the ponytail.

It appears that the gray haired man is driving the light rail this morning. He has newspapers up obscuring the view inside of the driver’s car. I wonder if he’s doing something obscene behind the news papered window?

The light rail baby is crying this morning. I wonder if something bad will happen on the train this morning. Then again, perhaps it was mere coincidence the other days when it was fussy and we had to switch trains or take a shuttle bus.

DAY JOB NEWSYesterday, at work I learned that we will be moving to a different area of the building. I’m not too upset about this. My only concern or need is that I be moved to an end cubicle. I feel uncomfortable with two people sitting beside me. The reason for this is that I know that this will result in the two people talking in between me as if I were an inanimate object.

After the meeting, Arvada, the Hobbitt looking woman, came up to me and apologized profusely to me about something. I have no idea what she was apologizing to me about. I even told told her I had no idea what she was talking about. Anyway, whatever it was she seemed really sincere about it. I hope that she feels better about what ever she was apologizing to me about. Sometimes I wonder if she’s stable.

60 MinutesAlso yesterday I watched 60 Minutes. I watched it by chance in a way because a few minutes prior to turning on my rarely used TV set I read an email from one of the adults with Asperger’s Syndrome mail list I belong to that said that Jerry Newport and his wife Mary would be on the show. I have their books but have never seen them on TV before. The two of them Asperger’s Syndrome, like I do. I thought it would be interesting to see two adults with the same disorder I have on TV. I found the show to be kind of condescending. It left out a lot things. They never mentioned that Mary has three grown children from a previous marriage. Then again the show was more about Jerry than Mary.

TODAY’S OUTFITToday, I’m wearing a short sleeved v-neck blue striped shirt, blue jeans, and old decrepit

The above photo is that of the musical group Wilco.

Today, I caught the 1# instead of the #20 because the 20# was a no show. The driver this morning was a heavy set woman who wore a ponytail. Also, today the light rail train is being driven by a woman. I believe it is the same woman who was being trained yesterday. She appears to be flying solo. I see no sign of the old gray haired light rail driver. I hope she doesn’t get us stuck like she did yesterday.

The light rail baby is back again!!! He/She is cranky this morning. I heard it cry a few times. Shortly after it started to cry the light rail driver announced that we would have to catch a shuttle bus at the Warren Road stop. I swear to God that baby is psychic!!! The last time it was cranky we had to switch trains at the North Avenue Stop. Today it’s wearing a very Butch dark blue terry cloth track suit. Maybe it’s a boy after all?

As you can probably tell I did not get the chance to see Wilco last night at the Meyerhoff. Yesterday, it was heavily raining when I left from work. It was raining so hard that I felt hesitant about leaving to go outside. The streets outside my work place looked like rivers. I could barely see anything in front of me. The only thing I could see clearly were sheets of rain. I was soaked to the bone when I finally I got home. I wasn’t in the mood to go back outside for fear of catching a cold.

I hope to hear how Jeff Tweedy and the boys did by reading a review by that guy that has an obsession with music. According to his blog called, Notes - A Music Blog, he went to the concert last night or was scheduled to go. In the mean time I’ll try and catch them on The Conan O’Brien Show tonight.

Today, I’m wearing a green stripped cotton blouse along with stone washed jeans and beige Muppet shoes. I’m topping it off all off with my blue heavy nylon jacket.

This is a quick sketch that I did one morning of the light rail baby. It's not 100% accurate because babies ,like children, tend to move around quiet a bit.

Today, I left out again a little later than usual. I did this because I had to find an umbrella and a jacket. It’s drizzling outside and I hear it’s supposed to pick up later in the day to something much heavier.

I caught the #1 bus instead of my usual #20. The driver kind or reminded me of a younger version of Little Richard. In other words he looked very flamboyant.

This morning the light rail train is being driven by a woman. It looks like she is being trained by the gray haired man who is our usual driver. He is standing up while she is sitting down driving the train. I can’t imagine it would be too difficult to learn to drive a train. All day you just go up and down the same tracks. So far the only bad thing that has happened is that we lost power as were heading underneath the North Avenue bridge. The train came to a screeching halt then the lights went out. She eventually recovered and now were back on our merry little way. I hope that there are not any more mishaps this morning.

In other light rail news, the light rail baby has returned! Yay!!! Right now it’s mother is feeding him/her from a blue cup. I can’t tell what it is. The baby seems to be enjoying it. Ahhh, the little one is pleasant as usual. Today, it’s wearing a blue, gray, and black striped sweater. I suppose it’s a boy. Then again it could be a girl I can recall seeing it dressed in pink a couple of weeks ago. Who knows maybe it will grow up to be a Pat.

I have to admit that I was feeling worried about the upcoming Presidential election. I recently read an article that Michael Moore wrote on his web page. It was very inspiring. I feel a little better now about John Kerry’s prospects. I hope that he kicks butt in the upcoming debate with Bush aka the shrub. Anyway, here’s is what Michael Moore wrote on his web page:

Monday, September 20th, 2004
Put Away Your Hankies...a message from Michael Moore


9/20/04

Dear Friends,

Enough of the handwringing! Enough of the doomsaying! Do I have to come there and personally calm you down? Stop with all the defeatism, OK? Bush IS a goner -- IF we all just quit our whining and bellyaching and stop shaking like a bunch of nervous ninnies. Geez, this is embarrassing! The Republicans are laughing at us. Do you ever see them cry, "Oh, it's all over! We are finished! Bush can't win! Waaaaaa!"

Hell no. It's never over for them until the last ballot is shredded. They are never finished -- they just keeping moving forward like sharks that never sleep, always pushing, pulling, kicking, blocking, lying.

They are relentless and that is why we secretly admire them -- they just simply never, ever give up. Only 30% of the country calls itself "Republican," yet the Republicans own it all -- the White House, both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court and the majority of the governorships. How do you think they've been able to pull that off considering they are a minority? It's because they eat you and me and every other liberal for breakfast and then spend the rest of the day wreaking havoc on the planet.

Look at us -- what a bunch of crybabies. Bush gets a bounce after his convention and you would have thought the Germans had run through Poland again. The Bushies are coming, the Bushies are coming! Yes, they caught Kerry asleep on the Swift Boat thing. Yes, they found the frequency in Dan Rather and ran with it. Suddenly it's like, "THE END IS NEAR! THE SKY IS FALLING!"

No, it is not. If I hear one more person tell me how lousy a candidate Kerry is and how he can't win... Dammit, of COURSE he's a lousy candidate -- he's a Democrat, for heavens sake! That party is so pathetic, they even lose the elections they win! What were you expecting, Bruce Springsteen heading up the ticket? Bruce would make a helluva president, but guys like him don't run -- and neither do you or I. People like Kerry run.

Yes, OF COURSE any of us would have run a better, smarter, kick-ass campaign. Of course we would have smacked each and every one of those phony swifty boaty bastards down. But WE are not running for president -- Kerry is. So quit complaining and work with what we have. Oprah just gave 300 women a... Pontiac! Did you see any of them frowning and moaning and screaming, "Oh God, NOT a friggin' Pontiac!" Of course not, they were happy. The Pontiacs all had four wheels, an engine and a gas pedal. You want more than that, well, I can't help you. I had a Pontiac once and it lasted a good year. And it was a VERY good year.

My friends, it is time for a reality check.

1. The polls are wrong. They are all over the map like diarrhea. On Friday, one poll had Bush 13 points ahead -- and another poll had them both tied. There are three reasons why the polls are b.s.: One, they are polling "likely voters." "Likely" means those who have consistently voted in the past few elections. So that cuts out young people who are voting for the first time and a ton of non-voters who are definitely going to vote in THIS election. Second, they are not polling people who use their cell phone as their primary phone. Again, that means they are not talking to young people. Finally, most of the polls are weighted with too many Republicans, as pollster John Zogby revealed last week. You are being snookered if you believe any of these polls.

2. Kerry has brought in the Clinton A-team. Instead of shunning Clinton (as Gore did), Kerry has decided to not make that mistake.

3. Traveling around the country, as I've been doing, I gotta tell ya, there is a hell of a lot of unrest out there. Much of it is not being captured by the mainstream press. But it is simmering and it is real. Do not let those well-produced Bush rallies of angry white people scare you. Turn off the TV! (Except Jon Stewart and Bill Moyers -- everything else is just a sugar-coated lie).

4. Conventional wisdom says if the election is decided on "9/11" (the fear of terrorism), Bush wins. But if it is decided on the job we are doing in Iraq, then Bush loses. And folks, that "job," you might have noticed, has descended into the third level of a hell we used to call Vietnam. There is no way out. It is a full-blown mess of a quagmire and the body bags will sadly only mount higher. Regardless of what Kerry meant by his original war vote, he ain't the one who sent those kids to their deaths -- and Mr. and Mrs. Middle America knows it. Had Bush bothered to show up when he was in the "service" he might have somewhat of a clue as to how to recognize an immoral war that cannot be "won." All he has delivered to Iraq was that plasticized turkey last Thanksgiving. It is this failure of monumental proportions that is going to cook his goose come this November.

So, do not despair. All is not over. Far from it. The Bush people need you to believe that it is over. They need you to slump back into your easy chair and feel that sick pain in your gut as you contemplate another four years of George W. Bush. They need you to wish we had a candidate who didn't windsurf and who was just as smart as we were when WE knew Bush was lying about WMD and Saddam planning 9/11. It's like Karl Rove is hypnotizing you -- "Kerry voted for the war...Kerry voted for the war...Kerrrrrryyy vooootted fooooor theeee warrrrrrrrrr..."

Yes...Yes...Yesssss....He did! HE DID! No sense in fighting now...what I need is sleep...sleeep...sleeeeeeppppp...

WAKE UP! The majority are with us! More than half of all Americans are pro-choice, want stronger environmental laws, are appalled that assault weapons are back on the street -- and 54% now believe the war is wrong. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO CONVINCE THEM OF ANY OF THIS -- YOU JUST HAVE TO GIVE THEM A RAY OF HOPE AND A RIDE TO THE POLLS. CAN YOU DO THAT? WILL YOU DO THAT?

Just for me, please? Buck up. The country is almost back in our hands. Not another negative word until Nov. 3rd! Then you can bitch all you want about how you wish Kerry was still that long-haired kid who once had the courage to stand up for something. Personally, I think that kid is still inside him. Instead of the wailing and gnashing of your teeth, why not hold out a hand to him and help the inner soldier/protester come out and defeat the forces of evil we now so desperately face. Do we have any other choice?

Yours,

Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
mmflint@aol.com

I hope that I will be able to get election day off as well as the day after election day. I have already requested those days off but have not heard back from my supervisor. I want to have election day off so that I can go out and encourage friends, neighbors, and family members to go out and vote. I need the next day off because I’ll either be in a very good mood and have been up all night celebrating or in a bad mood contemplating a move to Australia or any other English speaking country not being run by a crooked regime. If it all comes down to that third world country we call Florida, I swear I’m moving out of this country!

Today, I’m wearing stone washed jeans, black canvas shoes, and a gray sweatshirt colored short sleeved Henley shirt.

This morning I left out the house slightly later than usual. I had to catch a cab to the next light rail station to ensure that I would be on time for work. The cab driver I eventually flagged down told me that he saw me often times on the bus stop in th morning. He was a foreigner. I think he might have been from Somali. I say this because I used to work with someone from Somali and his accent sounded similar to that person’s. Despite the morning’s set back I made it to work on time.

This morning while on the light rail train I was drawing as usual. As I was drawing, this man, interrupted me and asked if I would do a sign for his company. He gave a description of what he wanted done. He told me he would pay me $25 for it. I know I’m capable of doing the sign for him. I also know that I’m capable of doing that picture that a woman that works for my company wanted done of her and her sons. I’m just weary that they would not think it was good enough and I would have to make constant changes to it.

I’ve heard millions of nightmare stories from illustrators about their clients constantly saying, “Yeah, it looks good but could you change....” and then you go back and make changes and then they say yet again, “Yeah, it looks good but could you change...” Then before you know it turns into an endless cycle of changes where the project is never completed due to the clients constant change of opinion. I don't know maybe one day I'll grit my teeth and give it a try,..... if the money's right.

Today, I’m wearing a light blue floral print blouse, blue jeans, and my beige Muppet shoes.

Today, I watched the Sean Connery,
Richard Gere flick called
First Knight. After being exposed to the likes of Excalibur and The Mists of Avalon, I wasn’t too impressed. Overall, it was an ok movie just not great.

I also listened to old time radio MP3 files of Suspense and Lights Out while I knitted and crocheted. I’m still working on a nutmeg coloured Afghan (crocheted) and a teal colored sweater (knitted). I’ve been working on those two on and off for about a year and a half. I’m closest to finishing the Afghan.

Right now I’m wearing a cotton short sleeved teal blouse with beige cotton shorts along with beige Muppet shoes.