put put

Today was a good day. Quick wrap up of current events. I didn't get my job back, which stinks. Times are slow, but maybe in the future... Bah. I've moved half of what I own into the shed/studio, from this day forward known as The Clubhouse. Or maybe The Cubhouse? Stubspouse?

There's tarps and tvs and lights and drills and a bench and its perfect. I'm making a theremin for you. Beleive it. I got four IC's left and they're just itching to transfer light into sound. I've worked on a few more pages of the comic, its going. I'm almost positive I'll make the deadline. If not, there's always next year. But seriously, they give grants to stuff with titles like "Pizza Wizard" so, you know. Tomorrow I think I'm going to build a case for my Seagull TLR camera. It's like 5x5x6, so that'll take about ten minutes. Stuff it with foam and it's secure.

Today was good because I woke up at 10, started uploading my music onto Dad's old Ipod, which is now my ipod which is good since I'd never buy one for myself or have one buy one for me. This one came free when my dad ordered a certain microscope for his lab. Just how I would've done. Coincidentally my old mp3 player died yesterday, so the timing is as good as it could possibly be. I then got picked up by JD and we drove around and I rode his bike for a minute and it was very springlike out. We then went to the Gulu cafe and got beers and sandwiches. A girl there had hair wax and I used it on my mustache and gave them perfect points sans mirror. That means its natural. Natural for the mustache that I have to be in points. I played with JD's manager's daughter and helped her spell words with her toy instruments that looked like letters. Then to make more words, we cut letters out of newspaper (she happened to have scissors). We spelled BIO, CAB, BOAT and RIOT. That's when people go crazy, I told her. Then we burned the place down.

After that it was back to JD's for games, music and cleaning. He has to move out in three days. Some people came over then we went back to the Gulu, had more beers and I was pleasantly surprised that a certain Marat Freisis and Clay were there. We hung out and a few bands played and we talked about what's wrong with our friends and what they're doing right and what they could do better. And that O'Mothie, the combination of White Moths and O'Malley (our respective highschool bands), was a thing that should have happened. We went outside and played frisbee in the park next to the cafe, which for some reason some people hated. Others, however, were pleased with our youthful frivolity and joined in for a round or two. More drinking, crises averted, and I took JD's truck and went home, blasting Animal Collective.

I got home and the ipod hadn't uploaded so it's doing that now. I want to go to the studio and test some things out. Its one. But I no longer have plans tomorrow so it doesn't much matter. Ahhhhh... Drawings, news, etc soon.

What a wuss

Anyway. So time goes by and things improve. I'm going to hang out with the dudes from my old job tomorrow and try to get at least a couple hours a week. I'm in the disconcertingly long process of attaining a studio (shed) so I can start sculpting again after six months of inactivity and unfulfilled projects. The ideal situation here would be that I'd work from 9-3 then walk the half mile to the studio and hang there till ten-ish. Go home, shower and repeat until January 15th. Then we drive accross this ugly country. Linda suggested we checkout the South Dakota Badlands. Or was it Montana? Regardless, I'm not sure how inviting they'd be in Januray / Feb but then again I have absolutely no idea. But the comic is coming along and I've been working on regaining my illustration ability. Here's two things. One done, one not.

Things change

So. There hasn't been an update in a while, maybe you've noticed. I kind of wanted to keep the whole moving home experience under wraps until Thanksgiving since I think 90% of the people who read this are my family and I wanted it to be a pleasant? surprise. My mind has left my body. I'm all over the place right now, incredibly unsure of how to procede. My plans for now are to hang out until the middle of January, then drive to Boulder, CO with JD. Plan is to roll down 95 until South Carolina then take a right. Maybe stop in Austin, maybe make our way to the desert. We have no idea. Its almost good that way. Thing I found out the hard way is if you want to you can drive 1800 miles in a day and a half. So we'll never be too imperiled. I don't know why I thought the deadline for the Xeric grant was January when its actually March and aparently has always been that way. So I've put the brakes on the comic, since I've been forcing it, rather than letting it happen.

I can't lie. I am bummed. We had a few good shows lined up for the Rodney Stewart Gallery. Urban Monsters in december I believe, Mark Mothersbaugh in April. Todd Barry, Eugene Murman and possibly Brad Neely in May. Its difficult when things were going very smoothly, then all of a sudden, not. I've been listening to Reality by David Bowie. I like it a lot. A lot of Neil Young too, mostly Silver and Gold. I just have absolutely no direction right now.

The Week in review

My submissions

To the Word of Mouth Show are as follows:







They're about 5"x7" ; going for 100 each

My thumb

I didn't realize my thumb was at war with glass and today lost twice. While doing the dishes it cut gashed by a mug I broke the handle off of a week ago. Later on I got a mexican mineral water from the place across the street to go with my almost impossible to obtain taco. not being a screw-cap, I did my trick of lining the edge of the cap on something hard and popping it off, but the top of the bottle came with it. I tried a sip and felt little glass crystals snap between my teeth, spit and threw it out. Oh, and Before I threw it out I decided to see if it really was sharp or just some crazy glass mirage and cut my thumb, through my shirt, again. Its ugly and not looking forward to a day of labor and doctor's offices tomorrow.

My thumb lost today.

Progress, progressor

Substantial update to the website, after some very helpful feedback.

http://matthewgiuffre.com/

New and improved. Two out of three videos in the circuit bent section are up, a new bio section (secret), changed the statement to something sensible, more music info, more drawings all over. More changes en route once I figure it out.

In other news, we have a room mate now. The lovely Leela Pahl will be staying in The Sideways Howse until Christmas, then its come to CT, then farther south. The place is better with her, I always like a full house and this place isn't hard to fill. Besides, its forced us to consolidate out crap into one room and the places is starting to feel real, lived in and I don't want to leave. But I will. When I have to.

An author showed interest in my work for a children's book. We still need to schdule a meeting. Monday I'm going to be doing carpentry work. The first work in almost two months. Its wierd. i don't suggest being unemployed for that long to anyone. Its just strange. The free time's great if you can handle and manage it. I feel I did an ok job. Could have been better. There were some shameful days of inactivity, but I'm busylike now.

I've been pumping out between one and six pages a day for the new comic. I've yet to think of a title. A problem I usually have. It's coming along great. I had this problem where I think I tried to forget how to draw and I started looking like henry Darger or Marcel Dzama, but that's not who I am and I'm getting my abilities back. I'm pleased with the process. Some things still need consideration, like shading, but there's still time.

I've decided to not drink from the first of November until Thanksgiving. Not that I'm blacking out every night, its just a challenge I want to take. And I know thanksgiving's early this but whatever.

I have health insurance and am about to fight Lavos in Chrono Trigger before I go to bed. Good night, sirs.