The Digital LandPhil

student feet, at EMP; group portraits


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The Onion | Gigli Focus Groups Demand New Ending In Which Both Affleck And Lopez Die
: )

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I'm melting.
oh my god it's friggin hot. it's 90 de-goddam-grees outside. but it feels more like 190. even the concrete is hot. you can't sit down, even in the shade, to take a break because you'll scorch your ass.

what is this, Tucson?

I'm not sure what's worse: sitting in a stuffy, hot un-air-conditioned darkroom; or being out in the open-air and bright sun. i had to do both today; more of the same tomorrow.

The photography class is only 2 hours (of actual class-time) per day. but it seems to eat a big chunk of time out of the week. At least they give us a free lunch though. burritos. (mmm, burritos) pizza. (mmm, pizza) or a sandwich.


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birthday shoutout: Happy Birthday, Mark! Happy [fake] birthday, Miles!

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N8W Illustration - www.n8w.com - 8
at the risk of sending you to the competition: here's a cool one. he's another illustrator who also lives in seattle. and he has a dog who can drive.

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Seattle Center Academy
i helped out at the photography class for SCA today. It's a 2-week course for middle school kids. we walked around the space needle / fun forest area and took pictures today; then watched a slide show. tomorrow, they'll get their film back. and I'll help them print some of their pictures.

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mask/hat-making supplies. ballard seafood fest. ballard family center tent, 7/27/03

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whatever happened to Yahoo Serious?

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my archive is hosed. and i don't know how to fix it.

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I met a cool chick named Colleen last night. she called me 'naughty' and gave me her email address.

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Welcome to the home of Edward Bartoszek - more cool art
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Amanda Blake ... -
some cool art that i saw at the BAMfair this weekend.

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CNN.com - Armstrong equals tour record - Jul. 27, 2003.
how fucking amazing is lance armstrong??
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I wanted to do the blogathon today. But, I couldn't. I had already signed up to volunteer at the kids' art table at the Bellevue Arts Festival. I helped a few dozen kids make crowns and headbands. We had 5 other volunteers. But, i think we were the most popular table in the museum.

Kelly has a booth at the arts fest. So, I stopped by and booth-sat for her.

tonight, I went to a Lock and Key event. a cheesy singles meetup thing. thought it would be lame. and , for the most part, the guys outnumbered the girls. so that sucked. but, i met some cool people. at the end, they have a drawing for a $100 prize. but, my name didn't come up.

maybe I won the $26 million though?

john come to town last night; we had a good visit. he bought dinner; stayed in the LandPhil guest suite; then headed out to Montana this morning. He'll swing back through Seattle on Wednesday. So, we'll get to hang out some more.

Mark's birthday is next weekend. So, we'll probably join the rest of the gang at Playland [a game room with lots of old school 80's video games.]

hmmm. what else?
can't think of anything right now.
so.. more tomorrow. perhaps.

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Phillustrations - Illustration & Graphic Design by Phil Scroggs - woohoo, they finally fixed blog this! testing. testing.

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Photo Friday: Mechanism

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new and improved.
I updated my site today. check out the bigger sample graphics, improved tv screen, and new illustration ("BASE jumper", which also appears here on this page)
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updating the blog from C-cubed again. (cloud city coffee) My show is going to stay up for an extra week. (so, if you haven't seen it yet!...) the next artist needs some more time. so, i happily agreed to leave the paintings. (though i haven't sold anything yet) I brought some more business cards to leave at the counter, since my others are all gone. and i put a postcard on their bulletin board.

john is coming to visit on friday. so, he'll get to see the show too. he's passing through town on his way to montana. (which isn't really 'on the way' at all. but,.)

last night, i went to check out the french conversation group on the Ave. It's held at a little greek restaurant. (makes sense, right?) they also have a spanish group and a german group, i think. they meet once a week; which is better than the monthly meetup practice. but, it's also on the same night as the meetup. maybe we could get those folks to come to the meetup location once a month.

I've been thinking a lot lately about something Po Bronson talks about in his latest book. i've heard people complain about this before. but, i don't really get it. People always say that we (Americans) are only concerned with our careers and what we do. when we meet someone new, the inevitable question is "So, what do you do?", as though that defines you. As though that's the summary of your existence. Lots of people resent the question because they feel like it's unfair to sum them up by their career choice. But, i disagree. I think asking the question shows an interest in who that person is and what their life is like. After all, we do spend a good majority of our waking hours 'on the job.' So, your selection of a career says a lot about you, and what your interests are. It also tells someone what your life has been like, and what it will be like in the future. ("I'm a surgeon" lets you know the hard work and long hours of school someone has been through; what kind of lifestyle they have and approximately how much they earn; "i'm a teacher" tells you they probably have a big heart, and love for kids, and a passion for learning [and teaching]; etc..) So, don't ever be afraid to ask the question. or answer it.

what do you do?
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self-promo illustration, 7/2003

Here's some new stuff I've been up to. in addition to the drawing above (and some others in the works), i've got some web sites in the works.

here's a flash intro, for a site still under construction:
Charleston Black Heritage

and another site still in development:
USA Resort Rentals

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a random thought..
why do they have the 2004 calendars out already? Are people really buying these things now? I noticed them in the bookstore about a month ago!


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that's all.

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Mark, Jen, and John enjoy some chips and salsa with the triplets.


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attention spammers
I do not need any generic viagra. Maybe you have me confused with my father? I also do not need my penis lengthened. It gets the job done quite well. I do not want to see 'teen sluts with horses.' it's just not my thing. I do not want a cable descrambler. I hardly watch tv anymore. I do not need a new home mortgage. In fact,.. I don't want anything at all from you.

So, save yourself the ones and zeros. I ain't buyin'.

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shoutout
Happy Birthday, Laura Lancaster! [monday]

cookout
I had a few friends over for a cookout tonight.


Mark vs. Mark - extreme paddle ball
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wankers
i had back-to-back encounters with a bunch of idiots just now. i was at the grocery store. i came out with my stuff; and there was a truck parked next to me. 2 big, furry, panting dogs inside. windows barely cracked; parked in the direct sun; and it's about 80 degrees today. I wanted to go postal. I would have posted a picture, but I didn't have my camera with me. (bad photographer!) I debated whether to a) do nothing, b) leave a nasty note for them or c) go inside and ask to have them paged. If I'd had my backpack (the one with the camera inside it), I could have left them a printout from this site. I decided I would wait and see if they came out. I'd give them a couple of minutes, then go inside and ask somebody to page them to get their dying dogs some air. Luckily, they came out within a couple of minutes. But, the dogs were obviously suffering.

the second pair of geniuses were standing out on the sidewalk in front of the grocery store, with their baby in a stroller, smoking up some cigarettes. ok- i understand the addiction and everything. but, can't that wait? can't you do it where your kid isn't forced to breathe that shit? smoke all you want!,.. but leave the baby out of it.

come on, people. work with me here.

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On the D.L.


I was reminded today of the importance of organ donation. In Po Bronson's new book, he talks to a woman who found her calling after suffering renal failure during a trip to Barcelona. She went from being a lawyer to working for an organ donation group, educating others on the importance of donating.

All you have to do is sign the back of your driver's license. Once you've done that, you should also let your family know.

Each day about 63 people receive an organ transplant, but another 16 people on the waiting list die because not enough organs are available.

Any questions?
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write it down
braves vs. mariners in the series. you heard it here first.

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juggling class p.m.
part 2 of my juggling class went well tonight. an extra student showed up this week. they all asked for an intermediate class after it was over. we don't have one yet; but, i'll find out if they'll add one for me to teach.

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email Shrub
have you emailed the "president" lately? He tried to make it harder for people to send him messages. But, he got busted for it after reporters picked up on the change at the white house web site.

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In seattle, you can sell hotdogs from a cart. but you can't sell meatless veggie dogs. "the seattle/king county health department only permits the sale of USDA-approved hot dogs on carts. this is the stupidest fkkn rule i've heard in a long time.




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Photo Friday: Identity
Kelly's identity is tied to her creative self.... and to her Art Car, "Leopard Bernstein." No portrtait of Kelly is complete without her car. (like kelly,) The inside of the car is as intriguing and multi-layered as the outside.
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Theme Thursday: "Paper"
my neighborhood is filled with the litter of smokers. some of it,... paper. but, mostly... butts. i guess most smokers think that cigarette butts are made of paper.. and that they'll dissolve in a day or two. In fact, cigarette butts are not biodegradable in the sense that most people think of the word. The acetate (plastic) filters can take many years to decompose. Smokers may not realize that their actions have such a lasting, negative impact on the environment.

there's also a chance that a discarded butt will start a fire. it happens all the time. and in a state like washington, [where we have very dry summers] we're at higher risk for wildfires.
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Santa Monica market crash
Why is an 86-year-old man allowed to continue driving a car? Does this make sense? Eight Nine Make that-Ten people are dead because he mistook the gas pedal for the brake.

We put restrictions on young people when they're first learning to drive. Shouldn't we do the same for those whose senses are declining? If your hearing, vision and reflexes are not as sharp as they were when you were 30, 40, or 50,... then you should have to RE-TEST in order to keep your drivers license!

I have a relative who is in his mid-70s. And, I worry that he's dangerous behind the wheel as well. [I've seen him have trouble just getting off of an escalator!] But, I have a feeling he is going to try to fight to keep his license. Somebody needs to step in before more people are hurt.

I get a chill when I see somebody driving recklessly on the road... then I get close enough to see them better. And, it's often some octogenarian who can barely see over the steering wheel.
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Yesterday, I attended an orientation for the class I'm volunteering for. It's a 2-week art program at Seattle Center for middle school kids. They have everything from dance to pottery to photography. I'll be helping with the black and white photo class. I haven't been in a darkroom in over 10 years. But, I hope it all comes back to me.

Here are some more crunchy quotes (by me) for your reading and publishing pleasure. All copyright-free. Use at will:

"Jazz sounds good anywhere."
"Art doesn't have to match your couch."
"Everybody has a right-brain."
"You can't spell PARTY without 'a-r-t'!"
"Not everybody can paint. But, everybody can appreciate a good painting."

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Today is the day of my superphoon. But, it's getting cloudy. The forecast calls for showers. So, I may have to re-schedule it for another weekend.
bummer.

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me, kelly, eddie. 7-12-03

I stopped by cafe allegro in the U. district for the "Self-Image" art reception tonight; i have one piece, pictured above, "South Paw" in the show; eddie put the show together... his clown art is in the photo above; but he also had some other cool collages and mixed media pieces. kelly had a couple of self-portraits.

eddie is putting together more group shows. so, he's going to keep me posted on those.

I went to the Ballard artwalk, after the reception at allegro. while on the walk, i stopped in and met the starbucks manager; we talked; i showed her my work; and i landed a show for January, next year. I could have taken October. but, I'm trying to spread my shows out a little more; i just did the Ballard artwalk a couple of months ago; and I'm already showing at the Starbucks in Wallingford that month.

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for Honor, some copyright-free quotes:

"9 out of 10 critics agree, Honor Marks Fine Art lowers your cholesterol."
"Don't Laugh At The Ketchup" - Martha Scroggs
"Just because it's cloudy, that don't mean it's gonna rain." - Phil Scroggs
"Life's too short to live in a house with blank walls."
"If you're going to walk all the way down the hill for coffee, you might as well make it a mocha. And if you're going to make it a mocha, you might was well make it with soy milk. And, if you're going to make it with soy milk, you might as well get a double shot."

- I'll think of some more later.

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Friday night sunset.

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"The world seems to operate on a silliness deficit, so I'm trying to fill it." - artist, Jules Anslow

I like that quote.
I read another good one on a blog the other day. This guy said that he lives his life like it's a sitcom about to be cancelled. So, he pulls out all the stops so the show will get renewed every season.

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Seattle Center Jugglers, May '03

My juggling class is tonight. I have 7 students. (but it's not too late to sign up, if you're interested! - Learn At North

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Bill just loaned me the new Harry Potter book. I resisted reading these for a long time. I wanted no part of it. dumb kids book, I thought. But, everybody I know was reading them and raving about them. So, i had to check it out.

hoping to burn through a couple of hundred pages today. it's a big one. over 800.
this means my Bookcrossing stack will have to wait.

got a late start this morning. but, i think i'll go get some coffee and ponder Friday's theme: Symmetry.

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theme thursday: "ground level"



sunset hill park: sprinklers. dog walker. picnic table. weedy grass.
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W is for Wireless
I'm adding this post from Cloud City Coffee. sitting at a group of tables (empty), in front of my paintings, watching the coffee queue get shorter and shorter. I just released 4 bookcrossing books. the shelf is full; but there's nothing I wanted to take. Lots of Sue Grafton novels. (are those any good?)

this is one of those busy meetup times of the month. (italian and french meetups are next week) there was bookcrossing on tuesday. i wasn't going to go. it was way over in west seattle. and i had another thing to go to- Magda, the photogographer's show at the Rose Club. (the place which won't return my emails) I decided to blow off the photo show since I had nobody to go with. and since i didn't feel like going alone. but, i also didn't want to sit at home. so, i went to the bookcrossing. i was one of only 2 men there. so, the conversation (as it sometimes does) wandered over to feminist authors, feminist literature, being a mother, etc. *rolls eyes* . And, then I remember why i didn't want to go. But, overall it wasn't so bad. i was glad to get out of the house. and i picked up some good Far Side books. I used to love the far side in college. And i can see the influence in my own work now. Gary Larson lived in Seattle (which I didn't remember, or didn't realize). And, like me, he loved to use puns in his work. He loves to draw animals too. Hmm. I'm not sure if his stuff is subconciously working its way into my paintbrush.. or if the ideas are coming from somewhere else.

last night was the vegetarian meetup (which i never go to anymore) and the photography meetup (which is always at the Barnes and Noble, goddammit. parking sucks!) I was hoping to go to that one. TYD also organized a fotologger walkabout. I wanted to go to that too! but,.. I decided instead to go meet up with some friends for the G.N.O.; Mike is leaving for Thailand for a month. So, this was sort of his send-off. We went to Dante's and had a few pitchers; watched the Mariners lose; played trivia -- and tied for 1st place!

There's a ton of stuff going on this weekend: kirkland summerfest, west seattle street fair, the Super PHOON!, fremont art about, seattle center orientation for the photography class I'm helping with, the Colossal Colon is in town!, carkeek work party, Len's 40th birthday, ballard art walk; Shara's plants need watering; my Faces For Life mask painting is due; Holy crap.
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Doug Williams is the NRA
Another gun nut goes postal. Thank you, Charleton Heston!

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I just spent the last half hour picking up trash from my street, including about 1000 cigarette butts. (This is becoming a weekly chore.) Did you know that if you litter a cigarette butt, you could get a $950 fine?

Report violators in Washington by calling the WA Litter Hotline: 866-LITTER-1 / or
866-548-8371


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I wish the 'BlogThis' thing worked. Are they still working on it??

Atlanta Blogs - I used to live near the Midtown station [N4]. Shoutout to the A T L

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I added a new Haloscan comment tool. Let's see if it works! Thanks Haloscan.
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So, I'm walking back from Tully's this morning... and I look down on the sidewalk... and I see,.. is it? yes.. I think so.. it's..... a five dollar bill! holy shit. I've found plenty of pennies before; quite a few nickels and dimes; even a quarter or two. But, I've never seen a five just lying there!

It was beside the (empty) bus stop. Somebody must have dropped it while waiting for the bus.

is it a cosmic sign? should i buy 5 lotto tickets now? what should i do with this windfall? I just realized that today is 7/7. So perhaps I should test my luck?
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Elvis has left the taxi stand
There's a taxi cab driver in Seattle who dresses like Elvis. But, the city fined him for not wearing the proper uniform. How ridiculous! We need more people like this in life, don't we?

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I know it's sunday.
but i just read the friday five [late again]...

1. What were your favorite childhood stories?
James and the Giant Peach; Roald Dahl books.

2. What books from your childhood would you like to share with [your] children?
Dr. Suess books. He rules.
I have a collection of William Wegman books that I'll pass along, when I have kids.

3. Have you re-read any of those childhood stories and been surprised by anything?
I didn't realize at the time that Dr. Suess was such an environmentalist. ('The Lorax')

4. How old were you when you first learned to read?
I don't remember! ??

5. Do you remember the first 'grown-up' book you read? How old were you?
I think it must have been The Amityville Horror. I was around 12 I guess. Scared the shit out of me!



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French Bulldog walkers @ Alki Beach


Join the Giant Group Phoon! Ok, you Seattleites- meet at Gas Works park next Sunday (if it's not raining!) at 4pm near the big hill. I want to do a group shot of 100 phooners. So, bring all your friends, neighbors, relatives,.... strangers.. whoever. We want to break the record for biggest group phoon.
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my favorite fireworks.


from sea to shining sea of people

Yesterday, Mike and I drove our bikes down to Hale's Ales. the plan was to meetup with John for a beer or 2 before pedaling over to Gas Works park to watch the fireworks on the Lake. But, Hale's was closed. (wtf?!) So, we jumped on the trail and went on into Fremont. The Red Door was open! So, we stopped there; had some beers; then headed down the trail some more into the park. The park was packed. I think that's the last time I'll watch from there. We would have done just as well just sitting under the Aurora bridge. After we were searched at the entrance (no weapons or fireworks allowed inside),.. we joined the 5,000 people sitting on the hill. All the best seats were taken. So, we just plopped down on the backside of the hill. Everybody stood up to watch the show. But, it was a good time.

One year, maybe I'll get a boat.. and I can take everybody out into the lake for the show.

The ride back was nice, once we got through the crowd. You gotta love the Burke-Gilman trail.
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another day, another death.
ok,.. Maynard Jackson... that was sad. He was too young. Lester Maddox- good riddance! Katherine Hepburn,.. yeah.. ok. Her number was up, I guess. But, Barry White?! ...... CHEF!? not Chef! He was a bad mutha. (shut yo mouth) I'm just talkin bout Chef!

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Happy 4th of July!

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Mia and Maria mind the store


I had a good time at the Art Walk tonight. As usual, my sales were low. I sold 1 photo, towards the end of the night. The cute grade school teacher talked me down 10 bucks below my asking price. She bought "Hot Dogs" in honor of her pet, "Jess". [note: the photo was taken on the 4th of July! in memphis, TN - 1999]

The art walk is always fun to go to, in spite of my lack of sales. There's always so much going on; so many interesting things to see and hear. There was a cuban band playing. There were some performance artists:



These 2 were there all night. They never spoke; mostly just reacted off of each other, improvising all their moves.



They had a wheeled platform strapped to their butts. Every once in a while, they would get right up in somebody's face, just to cause a reaction. They got some funny looks:




A critic from the PI stopped by to ask how I liked the new art walk spot. (since the gallery owners ran us off last month, we all setup in Occidental Park... away from the galleries) I told her I liked the spot.. but I wasn't happy about the galleries kicking us out. I just checked; and her story is already online. I told her I wanted to make a t-shirt for tonight that said "Gallery-Free" or "100% of the profits go to the artist!" She didn't quote me right in the story. But,.. it sounds okay, I guess.

Greg Kucera, the prick gallery owner who picked a war of words with the street artists, nearly got arrested for impersonating a police officer tonight. Please Boycott this idiot's gallery! He should have kept his mouth shut after he stuck his foot in it last month.

I wish I had gotten a picture of Mark Hamilton. He was the 1 artist protester left in the old square. (the story mentions him too) His piece was really cool.

Another artist tried to setup his stuff, only to be told he had to move. He decided to stay and just paint instead of selling his work.

Next month (I say this every time), I'll probably just go down there as a spectator and supporter. It's not worth the effort to haul my stuff down there if I'm not going to sell anything. But, it's too fun to miss all the other stuff that goes on.

Maybe my t-shirt will be ready in time!
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Take my class...... Please.
it looks like my juggling class is going to happen this time. the last 2 got cancelled due to low enrollment. But, now i have 7 sign-ups!

If you want to Learn To Juggle, sign up at the North Seattle Community College web site. I'll be teaching 2-ball, 3-ball, and 4-ball juggling. 2 Friday evenings, starting next Friday, at Sand Point Learning center.
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serious, not serious.

David says he and his chick are moving to Washington in August. [he accepted the job that was offered] I don't believe him. He might just be kiddin around.


Tonight is the 1st thursday/art walk. the Pioneer Square business association gave in and agreed to allow the artists to sell their work this month. But, we have to move to a different spot. We'll be 1 block north of the former location. I haven't decided if I'm going down there or not. I probably will. But, last month left me a little pissed off. The one good thing that happened last month was that I sold 2 paintings! so, that's good. I'll have a few different pieces to rotate in this time, if i go.

I saw the Hulk movie the other day. Overall, i give it the thumbs up. i was hoping for more hulk changes. (there were 4) It's really slow at the beginning. But, things get going a little better in the 2nd half. Ang lee kicks ass.

Today's 'theme thursday' topic is Yellow. everybody is posting pictures of flowers. I don't have any ideas. but, i'll keep my eyes peeled.
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Impeach Bush.

i wish the 'blog this' feature worked. they broke it a couple of weeks ago. so, i have to hand type my links now.

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the 'Friday Five'
I stumbled across this site. And since I don't know what to write about today, ... I'm taking the lazy way out. I know it's Wednesday. but,.. well... here ya go.

1. How are you planning to spend the summer [winter]?

no differently than the rest of the year. except maybe getting out to the parks more; doing outdoorsy stuff as much as possible. i went and worked in the park yesterday with my powerbook. and it was actually kind of chilly. even though it's sunny and warmish here, it gets cool in the shade when the breeze kicks up.

I'd love to do some hiking. i haven't even gone hiking since i've lived here. and i'd like to finally go to Vancouver, dammit.

2. What was your first summer job?

I guess it was working for the Augusta Mall. I worked for the promotions department. we would change the marquee out front. And we would setup the cheesy Christmas and (Masters-golf-tournament themed) Easter displays in all the fountains. It was a fun job. But, I worked for this evil bitch named Linda. She lived right across the street from my family. So, I had to see her even after I no longer worked at the mall.

3. If you could go anywhere this summer [winter], where would you go?

anywhere? maybe Paris. seems like everybody i know is leaving the country (or at least the state) these days. i have 1 friend in italy; his girlfriend/my other friend just joined him; 2 other friends going to s. america; another friend going to Thailand; 2 friends going to Napa Valley; another friend spending a fortnight in Montana; geez. I want go somewhere!

4. What was your worst vacation ever?
Probably the last few times I went to the beach with my family. (About 6 years ago) It just got too much to handle towards the end there. too many kids; too few places to get away; too loud; too much alcohol; too much smoking; too much parental annoyance, etc.

5. What was your best vacation ever?
I think it might be a trip to South Carolina a few years ago. Charleston and Pawley's Island, in February. (an annual thing)


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keep your pets inside this week!
fireworks freak them out. it's just plain cruel to put them thru the torture. most animals run away when they get spooked by the noise. so, keep your pets indoors!

Bradley the border collie showed up at my house again today. it's been about a year since the first time i saw him. when i called his owner to have him picked up, she said "yep, it happens every July." Well, if you know it's going to happen,... why do you let him outside unsupervised?! I live near a really busy street. And one of these escaped pets is going to get flattened one day.

Celebrate 'Independence Day' for Animals. Go vegetarian!

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