Mission Accomplished

 My time working in Rhode Island officially ended yesterday.

I completed my freelance filming project, and no longer have to make the (mostly enjoyable) drive down to Cumberland. I met a lot of nice people, had to deal with a few cranky ones, and got a lot of reading and drawing done. I appreciate the opportunity wholeheartedly, and am glad I was able to spend the two months on such an unusual project. It was fantastic to have responsibilities beyond my own day to day existence. And what a nice area to drive around and (I would imagine) to live in...

Red Sox vs Cubs

I hopped in the car at 4:00, put some gas in the tank, and drove down Route 2 with The Cranberries "To The Faithful Departed" album blasting. I got to Alewife at 4:40 to find Erik already there, and we jumped on the Red Line to Park Street Station. After letting one Green Line train pass, we crammed ourselves sardine-like into the next one, and rode precariously and tightly-packed to Kenmore Square.

When we got to Fenway Park Erik wanted to look around the shops so I hung out on Yawkey Way in the pre-game crowd, enjoying the sights and smells. A stilt walker asked me which team the Beastie Boys were rooting for (I had on my BB tee shirt), and when I replied the Red Sox, he cheered and wandered away to find more kids to play catch with. Once inside the ballpark I grabbed a pretzel and a bottle of water on the way to my seat (Grandstand 11, Row 15, Seat 5), and enjoyed the view for the hour up until game time (when the place filled right up). What a game. The Red Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead right away, and when all was said and done, they wound up beating the Cubs 15-5.

With the game well in hand, Erik & I left to meet Brian at Joshua Tree in Davis Square. Brian was already on his 2nd beer so I got a round for me & Erik. At last call when all was said and done, I'd had five Harpoon IPA's, and we all had a blast. By then everyone was starving and Erik offered to pay cab fare, so we took off to the nearest IHOP, and had a 3 am feast. I got a kick-ass bacon cheeseburger & fries, and I wound up scarfing down Erik's unwanted pancakes as well. Another cab ride back to Brian's car, he zipped us back to Alewife, and I ended the night with an enjoyable drive back home, with Telefon Telaviv and Thievery Corporation playing on the cd player.

Swap Challege The Next

I wasn't feeling the "X-Men" subject for this week's Swap Challenge, so after doing a sketch of the team I chose, I put that one aside. Monday while I was working down in RI (and reading "Hornblower and The Hotspur" in the car) I drew the pirate for Week IV instead.

I spent part of the day inking the pirate, and all of last evening shading and coloring it. I think the full inks came out best, and after I colored it, I feel like it should have remained in black & white. Oh well, live and learn...

Rainy Monday

I had three appointments in Rhode Island today, over the span of 9 am through 1 pm. So I packed my car with all kinds of 'down time' stuff, and despite the rain, had a very enjoyable work day.

I loaded the car's cd player with: Angel & Airwaves "I-Empire", Cocteau Twins "Milk & Kisses", Lush "Topolino", Mojave 3 "Out of Tune", Mute Math "Mute Math", and R.E.M. "Accelerate", and commuted in heavy bass, surround sound heaven. In between my appointments I read part of "Hornblower and The Hotspur" and drew a sketch of a pirate sleeping in his belowdeck hammock berth. Lunch was an apple, another cup of coffee, and a bunch of almonds. I walked around the place for a bit, and took a couple of photos. And at 2 pm (after a 'finalization' meeting with Jim - the 26th will be my final day) I headed back into the rain for my hour commute home. Nice.

Car Trouble

Over the last few weeks my battery light has been flickering on and off rather persistently. I got a new battery last winter ('09-'10), so that wasn't the issue (it's the alternator). Unrelated, I have been having trouble getting the car to shift into the 'down' gears (2nd, 4th and reverse). I brought it to the garage, and they later called me back to let me know the following (from Pete):

"When I put it in first to drive it into the garage, the car locked up, and we had to tow it out so we could work on other cars. You definitely need transmission work before we can tend to your alternator issue."

So now my car will sit at the garage until Dad & Ma get back from California so I can use Ma's AAA to tow it to Fitchburg to get the transmission fixed, and then drive it back to the garage for alternator service. In the meantime I will be driving Ma's car. It's less efficient on gas, but is in perfect working order, and it has a CD player (sweet). I'm just not happy that I have to worry (on top of everything else, i.e.: unemployment) about my car...

Swap Challenge II

This week Brian & I agreed to draw Thor in honor of the movie's release this past Friday. I kind of phoned mine in, pose-wise, but I like the way it came out.

Red Sox

Erik called me out of the blue last night, and he got us two tickets to the Red Sox - Cubs game for Friday May 20th. Sweet. It will be nice to get into the city, be outdoors, and have a few beers with a friend I don't get to see very often.

Escapism

The best part of today was finishing the last 50 pages of C. S. Forester's "Lieutenant Hornblower" while Mojave 3's "Excuses for Travelers" filled my bedroom with music. It's interludes like this that I find most enjoyable in life...

Also (for posterity), Dad & I spent the afternoon painting the entirety of the living room ceiling and walls today.

Sunbathing

I spent the day at Dad & Ma's doing yard work (mowing the huge lawn with my iPod on, mostly). Three hours outdoors enjoying the fresh air and good music, while sweating my ass off. Ma made toasted tuna sandwiches for lunch, and she fried a bunch of chicken wings for supper. Throw in my car passing inspection first thing this morning, and it was a very good day.

Swap Challenge I

Well today was put to very good use. I completed Week I of the new "Swap Challenge" project that Brian & I are working on. This week the subject was favorite characters from Marvel Comics. We agreed that he would draw The Thing for me, and I would draw Darkhawk for him.

Here is my contribution: