JIMMY CORRIGAN: THE SMARTEST KID ON EARTH (Chris Ware, 2000)

in

(***** / *****): On something of a Chris Ware kick lately (there are worse to be on), to the point (even) that I resubscribed to the Paris Review, just to re-read their interview with him. At times brutal, particularly the flashbacks to Jimmy's grandfather's upbringing, but always bursting with a spirit of experimentation and an unfiltered love of the medium. Nothing short of (awe)inspiring.

project nu-shed, (more) foundational fun with circular saws edition

in

With the addition of another three cubic yards of No. 57 limestone, managed to make a hill somewhat level (yesterday) and built a retaining wall on three sides (today). The thing isn't necessarily pretty, but it's keeping the precious 57 in (fingers crossed that it does so when NuShed takes its place onstage) – and I used all reclaimed wood from inside the original shed to build it. Waste not, etc etc.

lots of gravel in a stage for incoming nushed. looks like giant kitty litter.
limestone and wood retaining wall

Next up: more limestone transport from driveway to shedstage, and then waiting until 19 July for NuShed delivery and crossing fingers that wall doesn’t give way in the meantime.

two notes from the two minutes I was able to stomach

in

  • I love Joe and will vote for him again, but this was an unmitigated disaster and will, unfortunately, forever leave a shitstain on 3.5 years of more or less great work as president. He either needs to overhaul his entire campaign apparatus, from the top down, or bow out. Status quo is a no-go.

  • The Tumor just spent weeks in a criminal courtroom forced to not gesticulate or make a face listening to people rip him apart for eight hours a day. How anyone in Bidenworld missed that that would make a splitscreen debate easier for him is political malpractice of the highest degree.

exploring

in

At the risk of sounding like a TED talk circa 2010-12, I've been relabeling my working time as "exploring time," a distinction from previous iterations of I: instead of being a writer or working on a project or learning to draw, cartoon, whatever, I'm exploring writing, exploring drawing, cartooning, zine-making, what have you. Part of it is a removal of a should / must / have to aspect of my creative practice instilled in me not only by my music conservatory background (that uniquely creative form of Catholic guilt) but by viewing my practice as a means of escape for parts bigger and better and what have you. As my brief bio says, "Among other things, I write": this is my way of freeing myself to explore those other things sans guilt or have to / must / should.